Basic Instincts
by Caribou Kid
Summary: Trouble finds Lee and Chip when they find themselves marooned on a remote tropical isle.


**Basic Instincts**

Lee Crane, Captain of SSRN Seaview and his XO Chip Morton sat at the controls of the Nelson Institute for Marine Research flying sub quickly working their way through the preflight checklists before firing up the little yellow craft and heading out to rendezvous with Seaview off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. They had both been required to attend a two week senior level command seminar to meet their Naval Reserve commitments and were unable to leave with Seaview when she set sail to conduct a reef survey off the Australian coast. The class completed, they were now free to return to their submarine and get back to what they loved to do best.

"Well that should do it, all checklists complete," stated Chip.

"Roger that." Lee replied with a big smile. "Let's get this baby airborne and get back to Seaview before the Admiral can scratch the paint."

They both laughed and finished buckling themselves in for takeoff. Lee engaged the engines and slowly maneuvered FS-1 away from the dock and out towards open sea so they could start their long journey south from Santa Barbara to the Australia. The little sub surged forward and was air borne quickly. Following takeoff they worked quickly through the switches and dials setting their course.

Lee took FS-1 through a number of turns and altitude and speed changes following their departure. Response to the controls seemed somewhat sluggish to him and he was trying to determine if there was a problem with the craft or just his imagination. Chip looked over at him, an unasked question written across his face.

"Did it feel like FS-1's response was somewhat slow, Chip?" Lee inquired.

"I wondered what you were doing." Chip replied. "No, I didn't notice anything; she felt like she usually does. Maybe there was more of a headwind than we figured."

"Must have just have been me. It just seemed as though she was slow to respond to the controls."

"I didn't feel anything. The guys in maintenance just put her through a complete service before we left, maybe she's just readjusting to the work they did." Chip answered.

Lee put the craft through a few more maneuvers to see if he could duplicate what he felt as they departed. "Well whatever it was it seems to have worked itself out; she's responding fine now. Probably just my imagination," he said with a self-conscious chuckle.

Chip chuckled as well. "No Lee, given how you seem to bond with the NIMR equipment there most likely was some bubble in the system that only you would detect."

Lee rolled his eyes and just smiled at his friend. It was not unknown for the captain to detect some anomaly in his vessels' operations far in advance of any warning signals or other physical signs of a problem. His finely attuned awareness of his boat's status had saved their collective butts on more than one occasion so his 'feelings' that something might be amiss were never disregarded.

After Lee had put FS-1 through her paces and was satisfied that it was safe to continue to their destination, he set the autopilot and sat back to relax and take in the scenery. Chip unbuckled and moved to the storage cabinet to pull out the thermos of coffee stored within. He grabbed a couple of cups and poured them each one. He passed the cups to Lee and sat back down and buckled up.

They sat there for a moment quietly sipping on the aromatic brew just enjoying being back to work after sitting through two weeks of rather tedious classes. "How do you think Bobby's handling the Admiral as acting Captain?" Chip asked after a few moments.

"Oh I'm sure he's doing fine." Lee chuckled. "It's the first time he's really had to work with him directly for such a long period of time so I'm sure it's been quite an education for him."

"That's a bit of an understatement. Watching someone else deal with him and dealing with him yourself are two entirely different things. Hopefully all has proceeded according to plan otherwise we may be looking for a new second officer, at Bobby's request." Chip replied. Both men laughed with an experienced and knowing glance passing between them.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lt. Bobby O'Brien moved confidently through the control room checking on the various stations and chatting with the operators as Seaview was on the move to a new location along the reef. Thus far everything had gone like clockwork and it had been smooth sailing all the way from Santa Barbara. He walked over to the chart table to update their position.

"Admiral Nelson, this is O'Brien."

"Nelson here," was the quick response. "What's up Mr. O'Brien?"

"Sir we're approximately 15 minutes from our intended destination and just wanted to provide you an update." O'Brien replied.

"Thank you. Have you heard anything from Captain Crane on his status and ETA?" Nelson answered.

"Yes sir. They departed Santa Barbara about two hours ago and are en route. Assuming no strong headwinds or other hiccups in the weather they should rendezvous with Seaview in approximately 10 hours."

"Very good. Keep me apprised on their progress and let me know when we are at station keeping at our next destination."

"Aye sir, will do. O'Brien out."

/ooo(l)ooo\

FS-1 had been in flight for nearly six hours when suddenly she lurched and headed into a nose dive. Lee quickly disengaged the autopilot and grabbed the controls. He rapidly cycled through his switches and scanned his gauges trying to figure out what had just occurred. Chip likewise had snapped immediately awake after having nodded off and worked through his station as well.

"What the hell was that?" Chip asked tensely.

"I don't know." Lee replied. "But something is definitely not kosher. I'm having a tough time keeping her level and there is a definite delay in her response to the controls."

Once more the little craft lurched and dropped another 1,000 feet in altitude before Crane was able to reassert some control over FS-1. As both he and Chip tried to troubleshoot the problem they became aware of the smell of burning circuits and spied smoke starting to leak from the electrical control panel next to Chip.

"That's not good." Lee stated flatly. "Chip, get a fix on our location."

"We are off the coast of Seychelles, Africa." Chip answered after quickly scanning the navigation readouts.

"Let's start looking for a place to put down. There are a number of islands ahead; I'll try and fly over them. See if you can spot any signs of habitation or bodies of water."

"Will do, Lee."

Lee directed FS-1 as best he could over the islands ahead. He was fighting hard to keep control and it didn't look like he was going to get more than one over flight. The little craft bucked and yawed all over the sky despite Lee's efforts to hold her steady.

"If you can manage it Lee, the third island back looked to have a large lake near the center of the island but I couldn't tell if it was inhabited or not."

"Thanks Chip. I think I can make it back. Make sure your harness is buckled tightly this may be a bumpy landing." Lee replied tersely. "Grab the controls and give me a hand with this would you?"

Chip quickly complied and added his strength to help hold the craft on as level a flight path as they could manage. Lee directed FS-1 back around and then slowly lowered her onto the ocean surface. She settled smoothly on top of the water and Lee directed her ahead towards their selected island.

The smoke from the control panel was getting thick and both Lee and Chip were starting to cough and their eyes were watering badly. Once down on the water, Chip unbuckled his harness, pulled out the fire extinguisher then opened the smoking panel. Once open the panel sparked to life and the whole thing was engulfed in flames. Chip quickly doused the panel with fire retardant and the flames sputtered out.

"Good work Chip." Lee said coughing harshly. "Brace yourself I'm going to push FS-1 up onto that sandy beach."

"Go for it Lee."

Lee gently urged FS-1 to beach herself on the black sand beach ahead of them. Once they stopped Lee quickly started powering down the systems and Chip jumped up the ladder and opened up the top hatch to let the smoke out and fresh air in. After everything was shut down, both Chip and Lee climbed out on top of the small sub to get a much needed breath of fresh air. They both stood on top coughing hard trying to clear their lungs of the acrid smoke.

"What the hell happened?" inquired Lee between coughs.

"I have no idea. The moment I opened up that panel flames flashed up. We need to give it a few minutes to cool down and then we can go take a look." Chip responded.

"Well at least we were able to make it down safely with the sub intact so that's a good thing." Lee added.

As their coughing fits diminished and they guessed enough smoke had escaped they reentered FS-1. The main control panel was a charred mess of fried wires and melted circuit boards. There was no way they were going to be able to do anything to repair the damage done. As they looked at each other they both let out deep sighs of disgust. There was no way they were going to be able to call for assistance with any of the communication systems on FS-1.

Lee moved over to the supply closet and pulled out his emergency pack. He dug through it for a moment and then pulled out his satellite phone. He climbed back out of the craft turned his phone on and dialed the Institute.

Following the second ring, Angie Parker the Admiral's admin assistant picked up the phone. "Nelson Institute for Marine Research, this is Angie. How may I help you?"

"Hi Angie, it's Lee."

"Lee, what are you doing calling me? I thought you were halfway to Australia by now."

"We were but we've run into a big problem. Something went wrong with the electrical panel on FS-1 and we had to make an emergency landing. We're both fine but every electrical system on FS-1 is shot so we can't use the radio. Would you please patch me through to Seaview?" Lee explained.

"Thank god you're both safe. Hold on Lee and I'll patch you through now. If you need anything from this end let me know, okay?" Angie replied.

"Will do, Angie. Thanks."

After a couple of minutes Lee heard his call being forwarded to Seaview's radio shack. "This is Seaview." Sparks said alerting the captain that he was now in contact with them.

"Sparks this is Crane, let me talk with the admiral." Crane replied.

"One moment sir."

"Lee, this is Nelson. What's wrong?" Harri replied, an edge of tension and concern in his voice.

"Admiral we had a major failure of FS-1's electrical system and had to make an emergency landing off the coast of Seychelles, Africa. We got her down in fine shape and were able to beach her on one of the islands in the region."

"You and Chip okay?" Nelson inquired.

"Yes sir, we're both fine. We made a controlled landing and don't even have any bruises to show for our adventure." Lee responded laughingly.

"That's good to hear. What is your status, are you going to be able to make repairs there and hook up with us?" Nelson replied.

"There's no way that is going to happen Admiral. The main control panel is nothing but a charred and melted mess. We haven't had a chance to really look it over and try to figure out what happened, the smoke has forced us out for the time being."

"So do you have a location you can give us?"

"Aye sir." Lee quickly relayed the coordinates Chip had noted as they landed the craft.

"We'll get search and rescue mobilized at once Lee and get you picked up." Nelson replied.

"Sir there's no way we're going to be able to get FS-1 mobilized and I'm not too keen on just leaving her unattended until Seaview or some other salvage vessel can make it out here. With the electrical systems fried there's no way to engage the security system so anyone could gain access. We've got plenty of food and water on board plus what we can gather from the jungle and ocean and Chip spotted a large body of water inland so we most likely will have sufficient fresh water. FS-1 is intact so we have shelter and the weather is quite warm. I would suggest that we stay here with FS-1 until you can reach us and we can get us _all_ on-board." Lee offered. He looked closely at Chip for any negative reaction to his proposed plan.

"Are you sure? Based on your coordinates we're about a week away from your position." Nelson replied.

Chip nodded affirmatively to the admiral's question. "Yes sir, we're both fine with that plan. We needed to work on our tans anyway." Lee said with a chuckle.

Nelson let loose a sigh of relief at the captain's joke, which told him they were both fine and the only thing damaged was FS-1. "Alright lad, we'll give you two a week on the beach. Make sure you check in daily to let us know you're doing okay. I'll have Angie set up an automatic call forward to Seaview. Contact us immediately if anything changes, understood?"

"Aye sir. Well I suppose I better sign off so I don't use up all my battery. Talk to you tomorrow Admiral." Lee replied.

"Talk to you tomorrow and you both take care. Nelson out."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee shut off the phone and stared at his friend. "Well looks like we've got a little down time. What say we do a quick inventory of our supplies and then do a preliminary recon of the area?"

"Sounds like a plan, Lee. Can't say I'm too thrilled about being away from Seaview for another week but all things considered there are worse places to be marooned." Chip replied.

They quickly climbed back into FS-1 and inventoried all of their supplies. In addition to food and water there were two .45 automatic hand guns, two survival knives, additional batteries for the phone and assorted hand tools. Once that was completed, they secured the top hatch and prepared to check out their temporary home.

Located in the tropics, the weather was quite warm and humid. As islands go it wasn't particularly large, maybe 10 miles in diameter. It was covered in dense jungle which made any rapid movement across the countryside extremely difficult especially given the temperature and humidity. Chip had grabbed the machete from the tool kit and took point as they started working their way towards the center of the island. As they moved ahead they heard the skittering and chatter of small animals and birds in the canopy above. After about an hour they found a small clearing and sat down to take a break.

"Man this jungle is dense." Chip said wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You're telling me. I just hope our path doesn't grow shut before we can make it back to FS-1." Lee replied with a chuckle, likewise removing the sweat from his face. "What say we keep going for another hour and then head back and set up camp? Maybe we can go snorkeling and get us some fresh fish."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," responded Chip. "That getting in the water part sounds particularly refreshing at this very moment." They both laughed. Lee pulled out a couple of bottles of water and passed one to Chip; they uncapped the bottles and nearly chugged the contents in one shot. After a few minutes they started back on their task of exploring the island. This time Lee took up the machete and broke trail.

After an hour of slow progress they stopped and surveyed the area once again. There was nothing much different from where they halted the first time. The foliage was too dense to get much view in the distance and the horizon was nowhere in sight.

"I think we've gone far enough for today, what do you think?" Lee asked Chip.

"I'm with you there. There's no point finding everything the first day then we won't have anything new to do with our remaining time." He replied with a chuckle.

Lee walked over to a nearby banana tree and cut down a bunch so they would have some fresh fruit with whatever else they wrangled up for dinner. With that he gave Chip a nod and started walking back down their trail to the beach. The trip back was going significantly faster as they didn't need to hack down the plants in their way.

As they were walking back they heard several loud snaps and the sound of something large moving through the foliage. They froze and quickly scanned the surrounding area trying to spot the source of the noise. All of a sudden they saw something big move quickly across the path they had cleared and disappear into the dense jungle. They stared in amazement each blinking their eyes and wiping the sweat away.

"What the hell was that?" Chip asked.

"I have no idea," replied Lee. "The heat and haze must be playing tricks with my sight because I swear to god it looked like a wild boar except it was moving on two legs. Did you see the same thing?"

"Whew, I thought it was just me. Yeah, that's pretty much what I saw as well. That was the biggest pig I've ever seen and seeing it walking upright was kind of freaky and not a little frightening."

"Kind of?" Lee answered incredulously and with a chuckle. "I'm pretty well unnerved at the moment. Come on let's get back to FS-1."

"I'm with you there, bro." Chip agreed wholeheartedly.

They continued rapidly back down their trail until they got back to the beach where FS-1 was resting. As they entered the beach they spotted a number of different tracks of what appeared to be very large animals in the wet sand. They both scanned the surrounding area for signs that what made those tracks might still be around but didn't see anything. After deciding there was nothing lurking in close proximity, Lee and Chip began examining the tracks in earnest.

"This one looks like a pig's foot," Chip said checking out the print in front of him.

"This one looks like a large dog and this one over here looks like an ape of some sort." Lee replied. "This is freaky as hell and I'm not liking it one bit. This island didn't look large enough to support animals of this size."

"Yeah, I'm not too keen on it either. It seems an odd collection of prints; I mean those types of animals generally don't travel together and this is not like some watering hole where everything comes to drink. How would they even come to be on this island?"

Just then they heard a loud snap and saw a dark form dart across the edge of the clearing and head back down the path they had just cleared. Lee withdrew his gun from his holster and moved towards their path.

"Come on; let's see if we can get a better look at what's running around here." Lee said.

Chip likewise drew his weapon and followed closely behind Lee as they reentered the jungle. It wasn't difficult following the trail laid down by whatever had passed by. They stealthily moved down the path staring intently into the surrounding vegetation trying to get a glimpse of what was watching them. The ground was covered in downed leaves and branches and they had to pick their way carefully through debris to keep from tripping.

"See anything?" Lee asked quietly.

"Not a thing. Whatever it is its fast and knows the jungle. I do have the very distinct feeling that we're being watched though." Chip replied.

"I get that feeling too. Let's go on a little further, if we can't find anything in the next 30 minutes we'll head back and secure camp."

They both moved cautiously on, constantly scanning the surrounding area for signs of whatever had darted across the beach. As they neared a small clearing they spied what they were after, ahead of them stood a large black 'dog' for want of a better word, like the boar they had seen earlier it too was standing upright on two legs. Its front legs hung somewhat awkwardly at its side similar to a human or ape. Its muzzle appeared somehow mutated and shortened and its ears extended oddly from the sides of its head instead of near the top like a normal dog. As it stared at them it snarled and growled menacingly moving laterally towards the edge of the clearing.

Lee and Chip were shocked at what they saw before them and pointed their guns at the creature. As the dog moved to the edge of the jungle it started to circle towards them snarling and growling at the two men. They also started moving slowly around the edge of the clearing keeping as much distance as they could between it and them. The creature lunged at them and they moved more towards the center of the clearing where the ground beneath them suddenly gave way; they found themselves dropping into a deep pit well camouflaged below a carpet of leaves and vines. They both lay at the bottom of the pit stunned having had the wind knocked out of them by a rough landing following their unexpected drop.

After a moment Lee was able to catch his breath. He did a quick inventory of himself assessing what damage he had done in his fall. Aside from some bruises he seemed to be fine. "Chip, you okay?" he asked breathily.

Chip coughed and slowly sat up. He too took a quick personal inventory of his condition. "Yeah, other than a few bruises and a sore back. How about you?"

"I'm fine, same bumps and bruises as you I'm sure." Lee said rising to his feet silently chiding himself for stumbling into the trap. He extended his hand to Chip and pulled him up to his feet as well. They looked around taking in their prison; the pit was easily 15 feet deep with sheer, smooth walls preventing any easy escape. Lee rapidly began running his hands over the walls looking for any possible handholds he could use to climb out but found nothing substantial enough to give him any purchase.

"What the hell was that thing?" asked Chip.

"Your guess is as good as mine. That was the creepiest thing I've ever seen and that is saying a lot." Lee replied looking up towards the top of the pit

"Well whoever put this hole here definitely didn't want whatever they caught getting out." Chip finally said.

Just then a small canister dropped down into the pit. After a moment the can began dispensing a white gas causing Lee and Chip to cough and gag. Lee quickly grabbed the can and lofted it back out of the hole but the gas was potent and they both passed out as the anesthesia overwhelmed them.

/ooo(l)ooo\

"What's our status, Bobby?" Nelson inquired as he strode into the control room.

"We've got all the dive teams recalled and are ready to head to the skipper's coordinates as soon as everyone is aboard, sir." Lt. O'Brien replied. "The last team should be back on the boat in about 20 minutes."

"Good, good. Did they get all the sensors set in place first?"

"Yes sir. They have everything set up and actively transmitting data to the receiving unit. We can actually check this site off of our list Admiral."

"Well done. I'm going to head back to my cabin to write up some notes. Let me know when we're under way and also forward any calls coming in from Captain Crane." Nelson replied.

"Will do sir."

Harri headed towards the nose and then up the spiral staircase to his quarters. Although upset that there had been a serious incident with FS-1, after talking with Lee he was not overly concerned with the condition of his men. He knew Chip was uninjured otherwise Lee would have called for immediate evacuation and conversely knew that if Lee's condition was anything other than pristine Chip would have provided his observations to the admiral over Lee's objections. He really rather envied them having a few days on a deserted tropical island with nothing more to do than swim, eat and catch some rays.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Chip groaned loudly as he returned slowly to consciousness. His head felt as though it were going to explode and his mouth tasted as if something had curled up and died there. He peeled open his eyes and made a quick scan of his surroundings. He was no longer in the pit but in a small concrete cell lying on a small cot. There was a large steel door with a small window in the middle of one wall which provided the only light. He was alone and immediately became concerned about Lee's whereabouts.

Pushing himself to his feet, he swayed momentarily as the last effects of the gas wore off. The cot was the only furniture in the cell and the only other distinguishing feature was a six inch drain in the middle of the floor. He walked slowly towards the door and peered out the small window. He was immediately shocked and concerned by what he saw. Lying naked, unconscious and strapped to a metal table in the center of the room outside his door was his CO and best friend Lee Crane.

Chip scanned the room finding it to be some sort of laboratory similar to something that might be found in a typical horror movie. There were cabinets along one wall filled with jars and bottles containing fetal animals and other body parts, a bank of computers flashed and hummed on another wall, on the last was a large machine whirring and whining; Chip had no idea what purpose it served. Positioned around the table were metal stands with trays full of medical equipment and hypos, an armature with some sort of device was positioned above the table along with a series of video cameras set to capture whatever was about to occur.

As Chip looked around the room he had yet to spy any people. "Lee! Lee! Can you hear me?"

Lee remained still not responding to Chip's call.

Slightly louder Chip called out. "Lee, can you hear me buddy? Come on Lee wake up."

With that Lee let out a soft moan and rolled his head from side to side trying to reclaim consciousness. He attempted to move and finding himself restrained he pushed through the fog and was instantly awake. His eyes rapidly scanned the area taking in the machines, cabinets and equipment. All he could move was his head and he raised it up to complete his inventory of the room.

"Lee. Over here." Chip called once again.

"Chip? Where are we? What happened?" he croaked out his voice raspy from the effects of the gas.

"I have no idea. I just came to a few minutes ago. I haven't seen anyone. Are you all right?"

"I don't know. I can't move anything. How about you, are you okay?" Lee replied.

"Other than a headache from hell and the bruises I got from the fall down that pit I seem to be fine."

Just then the door to the laboratory opened and a tall middle aged man with long white hair drawn back into a pony tail dressed in scrubs and a white lab coat entered the room carrying a tray with a number of vials and hypodermic needles. He immediately noticed that his captives were now awake and alert.

"Ah so you've decided to join us," he said with a malicious chuckle.

"Who the hell are you and what's going on?" demanded Lee.

"Well your mental faculties seem to be unimpaired. My name is Dr. Phillip Bascomb and you are according to your identification cards Commander Lee Crane USNR and Lt. Commander Charles Morton, USNR. You are also trespassers on my private island. What are you doing here?"

"Our aircraft broke down and we had to make an emergency landing. We were just waiting for our submarine to arrive and pick us up. We had no idea the island was inhabited let alone owned by anyone." Lee replied. "Why the hell am I strapped to this table and why is Mr. Morton locked in that cell?"

"Submarine, what submarine might that be?" Bascomb inquired.

"SSRN Seaview from the Nelson Institute for Marine Research. I am captain of the Seaview and Mr. Morton is my executive officer." Lee answered. "Now answer my questions."

"Ah yes, Admiral Harriman Nelson's research vessel. I've been most impressed with his work; he has a brilliant mind and I would very much enjoy conversing with him on a number of areas in which we have a joint interest. As to your question Captain you have arrived at a most opportune time, I am at a juncture in my own research that I am in need of some human test subjects and you both fit the bill exceedingly well."

"Research, what kind of research?" Chip asked from his cell apprehension tinting the edges of his voice.

"I am a geneticist by training and have been experimenting with modifying genetic codes in order to tap latent capabilities and to rewrite an organism's physical makeup to enhance and accelerate genetic evolution."

"Are you responsible for those things we saw in the jungle?" Lee inquired feeling a sense of dread knot his stomach.

"Yes. To give you a bit of reference, as a boy I was intrigued by the story '_The Island of Dr. Moreau_' by H.G. Wells. The idea of artificially evolving an animal to take on more human traits and intelligence has long fascinated me and spurred me to train in the field of genetics. I have had a great deal of success mutating my animal subjects much as the fictional Dr. Moreau though my process is considerably more advanced than what Wells envisioned. My process is more closely aligned with what you see in the transformation of Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk." Bascomb said with a self-conscious giggle as he moved about the lab tweaking nobs and adding items to the trays besides the table.

"Saying that all out loud makes it all sound rather ridiculous I suppose. However those two sources have provided me with the necessary inspiration to develop my own process for changing traits of existing organisms. I have developed a serum that temporarily breaks the genetic bonds in an organism's DNA and allows me to insert new traits and capabilities forcing the organism to transfigure itself into something new. Using my own DNA as the source for the human traits I want fostered in my animal subjects, I inject that into my subjects then irradiate them with gamma rays to initiate the transformation. I have had great success thus far. I have transformed animals into what I call 'manimals'; they walk upright, their cognitive abilities are close to that of a 5 year old child and I'm closing in on being able to give them the ability to speak."

Chip and Lee exchanged looks and Lee fidgeted against his bonds trying to find any chance of escape.

"You won't break free Captain, I assure you. The animals I've worked on are considerably stronger than a man and those bonds have held them in place throughout the procedure. Anyway back to my current line of research. In seeing the high degree of success with my animal subjects I've begun to wonder if I could rewrite man's genetic code to return many of the basic instincts and capabilities we've given up as we've progressed up the evolutionary ladder. Specifically I'm curious to see if I can augment strength, sight, hearing and sense of smell while retaining the cognitive abilities that define us as a species, hence the need for human subjects."

"You're insane. What is the value in that?" Lee replied repulsed and terrified by the thought of what must be coming next.

"Oh come now Captain, you as a military man can surely see the benefit of having a cadre of troops that are physically superior to those you are opposing. Isn't your military always looking for ways to create the ideal soldier?"

"Not at the expense of their humanity." Lee spat.

"Don't be so naïve Captain, the military machine would love nothing more than to have a soldier that far exceeds the capabilities of an enemy and if they could achieve much of that without having to provide more weapons and protective equipment the happier they would be. Enough chat. Are you ready to begin Captain?"

Lee struggled once again against his bonds as Chip desperately tried to get the door of his cell open.

Bascomb picked up a vial from one of the trays and filled a syringe. He swabbed Lee's forearm and made the first injection. The compound burned as it coursed through his veins and he grunted uncomfortably; it seemed as though the temperature in the room had spiked about 20 degrees.

Bascomb observed Lee for a moment listening to his heart and respiration and watching his pupil reactivity. After a couple of minutes he picked up another vial and syringe and filled it. He once again injected the serum into Lee's arm. This one hurt more than the first and Lee groaned louder and began to pant as the pain ricocheted throughout his body.

"If you're wondering at all Captain about what I'm doing I'm injecting various genetic traits to be incorporated into your existing DNA strand. I've chosen to give you attributes of a wolf. The whole experience will be akin to the transformation of a man into a werewolf except I don't require the full moon and the effects won't wear off once the sun comes up." Bascomb explained. "If this goes as I plan you should have enhanced hearing, eyesight, smell and strength while retaining the ability to think and act as you do now."

Lee tried desperately to control the pain but nothing in his experience remotely compared to the torture he was enduring now. It felt as though he were being ripped slowly apart from the inside out. His entire body ached as organs, muscles and bones twisted and turned within him as the serum worked its way into his system. His heart rate skyrocketed along with his respiration and body temperature; he was bathed in sweat borne of pain and fear. His moans became deeper and more frequent as he lost his battle to control his response to the pain.

Chip screamed Lee's name trying to give him what support he could from the confines of his cell. He cursed Bascomb and promised him a most unpleasant end once he got his hands on him.

Picking up another vial, Bascomb filled one more syringe and injected the contents. "That's the last injection Captain. Now to accelerate the transformation it is time for a little radiation treatment." He moved to the bank of machines on the far wall. He hit one button and the armature lowered to just above Lee's body. Next he pressed another switch and the device on the end of the arm glowed to life followed by an agonizing terror filled scream ripped from Lee's lips.

The scream was primal much like one released from a long past relation as it was killed by some predator of the time. So gut wrenchingly filled with fear and pain it made both Bascomb and Chip freeze and blanch as they watched Lee writhe on the table. Coming to his senses Bascomb turned off the beam but Lee's screams continued.

Chip watched in horror at the changes overtaking Lee's body. He could see the muscles rippling and growing in bulk, his facial structure began mutating into the shape of a wolf's muzzle and as Lee panted he could see his teeth changing into fangs, tears of blood streamed down the side of his face as he screwed his eyes shut against the pain. As he watched Lee's nails on his fingers and toes became thicker eventually forming into claws and his feet began to elongate similar to the hind legs of a dog. All the while strangled cries escaped his throat until suddenly they became a mournful howl and a dark coat of black fur began covering his tortured body. The only part of him that remained unchanged were the piercing amber eyes that cried out in silent horror pleading to Chip to release him from this agony.

By the time Lee finally passed out, hours later, horrific forces had reshaped his body. Even Bascomb seemed relieved when consciousness fled from his unwilling victim. He moved carefully next to Lee and listened to his heart and respiration.

After a moment Bascomb looked up at Chip. "I think my dosage was too high; this is more transformation than I wanted."

Chip felt tears of rage streaming down his face as he mourned his brother and friend. He had been totally helpless, unable to come to his aid. "You bastard!" screamed Chip. "You're a dead man Bascomb; one way or another I will see to it personally."

Bascomb fidgeted under Chip feral stare; his ice blue eyes boring into him. He turned his back to him and began undogging the wheels on the table Lee was strapped to. He walked over to the cell next to Chip's and opened the door then went to the table and rolled it into the room. He set the brakes on the wheels then carefully undid the straps binding Lee to the table. Once that was done he exited the cell and shut the door. He walked to the door exiting the laboratory, shut off the lights and left Chip and Lee alone in the dark.

/ooo(l)ooo\

It had been over 24 hours since Lee had checked in with Seaview and Nelson was becoming concerned. It wasn't normal for his captain to be late unless something had gone wrong. He stopped at the Radio Shack to check with Sparks. "Has Captain Crane checked in yet today, Sparks" he inquired.

"No sir, there's been no traffic from him or Mr. Morton since the captain first checked in." Sparks replied.

"Give them a call Sparks, maybe they found a stash of rum somewhere and are having a wild party." Harri offered trying to allay his growing fears.

Sparks quickly initiated a call to the satellite phone the captain had last used. It rang but no one picked up. "Sir, there's no answer on the other end. I've double checked with the Institute and they haven't been contacted either."

"Damn," responded Harri. "Mr. O'Brien, bump us up to flank speed. What will be our estimated time of arrival?"

"Aye, sir," answered Bobby. "Engineering increase speed to flank." Confirmation of his order was quickly received as Bobby worked through his calculations given the increase in speed. "We should be there in approximately 96 hours sir. Would you like me to contact Search and Rescue and have them dispatched to the island?"

"Let's hold off on that for now. Hopefully they've just lost track of time and are out snorkeling somewhere. Have Sparks continue trying to reach them."

"Aye sir."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Once Bascomb left the lab Chip moved away from his cell door and lowered himself slowly onto the cot. The sound of Lee's screams still rang in his ears as the horrors of the physical transformation he went through replayed in his mind. He sat listening intently for any noise from the next cell but Lee had yet to regain consciousness as far as he could tell.

After a moment Chip got up off his cot and began pacing his cell like a caged animal; his fury, rage and concern for Lee making it impossible for him to sit still. He called out quietly to his friend hoping to let him know he was not totally alone. "Lee, can you hear me bro? Lee I'm here with you. I swear we'll find a way out of here and then we'll get the admiral to change you back."

He continued to talk trying to give Lee something to grab onto and pull himself back from the abyss he had finally tumbled into. Exhausted he finally gave into the emotional toll of the day and lay back down on his cot. His head was still pounding but he eventually slipped off into a troubled sleep.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Slowly the edges of oblivion rolled back as Lee began to regain consciousness. The slightest movement sent waves of agony surging through his body; he whimpered quietly. Finally steeling his resolve he attempted to move his hand and found that he was free of the restraints that had held him immobile on the table. He carefully moved each of his limbs making sure he was completely free.

Once he had determined he could move he slowly began pushing himself up off the table. Every muscle, every fiber of his body cried out in pain but he had to get off that damn table. Concentrating all his energy he swung his legs over the side and then carefully lowered himself onto the floor. His knees buckled as soon as his tried to stand and he crumpled in a heap at the side of the table. He lay there panting, trying to get control of the pain and his body.

As he laid there he listened intensely for any sound. He could hear Chip's deep regular breathing in the next cell; he was asleep. It gave him some level of comfort that Chip had not been assaulted yet. He suddenly became aware of the foul odors that filled the cell he was in. Urine, feces, vomit, blood all assaulted his nose. The odors were so deep and complex, he had never smelled anything like that in his life; he fought hard to keep from retching as the odors threatened to overwhelm his senses. He also became aware that he could smell Chip in the cell next door. Never really conscious of his scent before, given his new sensitivities he immediately recognized his brother.

Having recovered somewhat from his effort to get off the table he once again tried to stand. His legs and arms felt weak and powerless as though he were a newborn babe; they trembled under the strain of his weight as he pushed from his knees up to his feet. He struck out his hand to steady himself against the wall, as he did so he noticed the dark coat of fur covering his body; even in the darkness of the room he could see it.

He looked slowly at his hands and saw the rounded nails extending from the ends of his fingers. He flexed his hands and found he now had difficulty in making a fist. He looked at his palms; the skin seemed rougher and thicker. For the first time he noticed that he still had his ring on his left hand and wondered why Bascomb had not removed that. Looking down at his feet he realized they no longer looked like his feet but like those of a huge wolf; rounded nails extended from his toes and he now found himself balanced on the balls of his feet instead of on his soles.

Very slowly he raised his hands to his face terrified of what he was going to find. He now felt a long muzzle and leathery broad nose, his teeth were larger and longer and long stiff whiskers extended from the side of his mouth. He tried to speak but discovered he was now incapable of forming words and could only whimper or growl. Fear swept violently over him as he realized he was locked in a body from which he could no longer communicate. His life as he knew it was over; a wave of deep despair swamped him as the enormity of the physical changes he had endured hit home. He let loose a mournful and desperate howl of anguish.

Lee pushed off the wall and tentatively took his first steps. It was agonizing but he was able to remain standing and began pacing the cell. He was keenly aware that he still had a fully functioning mind and he let out a huge sigh of relief knowing he still had his most powerful weapon. He began evaluating his surroundings and started to work through various plans to affect his escape and rescue Chip. He eventually moved to one corner of the cell and slowly lowered himself to the floor, drifting off into a nightmare riddled slumber as exhaustion claimed him.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Chip was suddenly awakened by the howl from the cell next door. "Lee, are you awake bro?" he called out quietly. "Can you understand me? Can you give me some sign you're back?" Chip strained to hear anything from the next cell but all had gone quiet again.

Chip had no concept of how much time had passed. The laboratory and cells were almost completely dark, the only light emitted from the bank of computers in the main room barely illuminated his cell. He heard his stomach growl telling him that they had been down there for over a day; that was his only gage of the passage of time. Suddenly the lights flashed on and Bascomb entered the lab. He walked immediately over to the cell that Lee was in and looked inside.

He took note that Lee was no longer on the metal table but huddled in one corner of the cell. As Bascomb looked in the window Lee's piercing amber eyes snapped open and fixed him with a murderous glare. There was no doubt in Bascomb's mind that Crane was fully cognizant of what he had been put through and would exact retribution the first opportunity given.

"Good to see you're awake, Captain. Do you understand me?" Bascomb said.

Lee continued to glare at the man giving no indication whether he understood or not. It had been a horrific day that took him through the gates of hell and left him there; the pain and agony he had endured still fresh and vibrant in his mind. His whole body ached inside and out at the unnatural changes it was forced to make. His entire existence focused now on seizing that one moment when he would make Bascomb pay.

Bascomb looked quickly into Chip's cell as well. "Good to see you're still with us as well Commander Morton. Sleep well?" Chip flashed a vicious sneer as he rushed the door.

Needing to check out the progress of his first human transmutation Bascomb moved across the lab to one of the cabinets and pulled out a tranquilizer gun and dart. He loaded the gun and moved back to Lee's cell. Taking careful aim through the window he fired the gun tagging Lee in the side. Lee sprung to his feet ripping out the dart and charged the door causing Bascomb to jump back in surprise, amazed at the speed of the action. Lee thrust his arm through the window trying to grab the doctor and rip his throat out.

After a few minutes the tranquilizer began taking effect and Lee staggered back to his corner and slumped unconscious onto the floor. Bascomb stared intently through the window making sure the drug had fully taken effect. Once certain that Lee was completely under its control he cautiously opened the door and moved over to his subject. He manhandled him back onto the table, strapped him down then rolled him back into the laboratory.

Chip got his first full view of the fully transformed Lee. He was massive as the new muscle tissue formed in the transformation had added a bulk to his frame that he never seemed to carry as a human. His body for the most part still retained its human shape with the wide shoulders, long arms and legs and a trim and powerful torso displaying every well-defined group of muscles. His hands stayed much the same; the long slender fingers remained but now sported the rounded claws of the wolf. His feet were more lupine having been elongated in the change placing his balance on the balls of his feet instead of the human flat foot and again the wolf like claws at the end of each toe. Each and every muscle group was visible beneath the skin and fur indicating an inherent presence of coiled power just waiting to be released. Lee's face was unrecognizable as it had taken on all the characteristics of the wolf; long muzzle, flat head, triangular-shaped ears on top of his head, and long white lethal fangs. He was completely covered in a glossy, dense, black fur adding the finishing touch to the awesome predator laid out before him.

Bascomb began quickly evaluating Lee's condition gauging pulse, respiration, blood pressure and temperature. He drew blood samples, measured various parts of his body and collected fur and saliva. As he moved to check out pupil reactivity Lee's eyes suddenly snapped open fixing the doctor in a laser like stare and he snapped forcefully at him. Bascomb jumped back in fear and quickly ensured the straps were securely fastened.

"You should not be awake yet, there was enough sedative in that dart to take down an elephant for four hours." He rapidly noted his observations in the diary he held in his hand.

With Lee's return to consciousness Chip called out to him softly. "Lee? Oh god, Lee."

Lee turned his head to the right catching sight of Chip's face inside the cell window. Their eyes met reconnecting them for the first time since Lee's horrific experience. Lee couldn't help but read the sorrow and an apology for not being able to prevent what had happened, in Chip's gaze as he took in the changes to his surrogate brother and friend. A profound sadness settled into Lee's heart knowing unless he could escape Chip would endure the same treatment he had.

Bascomb completed his notes and then grabbed another syringe and vial and drew off a dose of sedative. He injected Lee and waited impatiently for the drug to render his subject unconscious and of little danger to him. Lee continued to glare at Bascomb; his gaze conveying all the contempt and hatred he felt towards the man until he surrendered to the drug. Once his subject was unconscious Bascomb returned Lee to his cell releasing his bonds then securely shut and locked the door. He grabbed his samples and exited the lab.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Sometime later Bascomb returned to the lab with water and food for his 'guests'. He opened the small sliding door at the bottom of each door and pushed a tray laden with bowls of water and food into each cell. Lee sniffed at it from the other side of his cell; he could smell the taint of the chemical sedative laced throughout the food. He drew back his lips in a vicious sneer and growled at Bascomb.

Chip picked up the bowl of stew and sniffed at it as well. Without Lee's heightened sense of smell he couldn't detect the sedative but was still wary. While looking Bascomb in the eye he took the bowl and moved next to the drain and poured it into the hole. Bascomb frowned at Chip's failure to eat the doctored food. He moved back to the cabinets and grabbed the tranquilizer gun, reloaded it and returned to the cell.

Chip tried desperately to get out of the doctor's line of fire but had nowhere to hide. He heard a soft pfffttt and felt the sting of the dart in his shoulder. He wrenched the offending projectile out and threw back at Bascomb. Within minutes Chip started to become groggy and soon passed out in his cell; the solid thump of his body against the floor let Bascomb know it was safe to claim his 'lab rat'.

He moved quickly back to Chip's cell and warily opened the door. He walked over to Chip and checked his reflexes and state of consciousness. Finding him completely under the effects of the drug he exited the room and brought in another rolling metal table. He stripped Chip of his clothing then placed him on the table and applied the restraints. He rolled the table back into the main laboratory and positioned it under the armature just like the previous day.

Hearing the sound of Chip's body hitting the floor Lee pushed himself to his feet and darted to the door. He stared out through the small window and finally caught sight of Bascomb as he rolled an unconscious Chip out into the lab. Rage rocketed through Lee's being and he snarled and snapped from his cell at the scientist. He shook the door in fervent hopes he could tear it from its hinges and rush to his XO's aid. He knew what was about to befall his friend and brother and was powerless to prevent it. He glared at Bascomb as he went about his activities preparing to carry out his experiment.

He looked back up at Lee. "Following your reaction and resulting transformation I've adjusted the quantities needed. Your friend will receive much less serum and radiation than you did so the effects should not be as dramatic nor the pain nearly as great. You have spared him much Captain, take solace in that."

Lee backed away from his door nearly upsetting the bowl of food at his feet. He looked at the bowl picked it up and hurled it at the window in the door spraying the contents over the laboratory floor. Bascomb glared at him as some of the stew hit his lab coat. Lee responded with a low menacing growl that made the scientist blanch. Bascomb had succeeded in his bid to create an animal with a man's intelligence and he soon would very much come to regret that.

Lee watched intently as Bascomb finished up the last of his preparations for the procedure. Much as he wanted to hide from what was going to happen, Lee knew he had to watch just as Chip had felt compelled to watch what happened to him; he had to support his friend and brother the only way he could. He stared out the window and saw Chip slowly coming back around.

Like Lee, Chip thrashed as best he could against the restraints but was no more effective in gaining his freedom. He turned his head towards the cells and saw the biggest wolf he had ever seen staring out the small window at him. "Lee?" he asked tentatively.

Lee stared back at him and blinked his eyes and nodded his head. The only hope that he could find was that if this can be done, then maybe it can be undone; they just needed to escape and find the admiral when he arrived.

Chip's focus was immediately drawn back to Bascomb as he moved next to him. He picked up a vial and partially filled a syringe. "Are you ready to begin Commander Morton? As I have already told Captain Crane thanks to what I learned from his reactions yesterday I have modified the procedure and will hopefully spare you the degree of discomfort he experienced along with limiting the amount of transformation. For your information I will be using DNA from a panther to modify your genetic composition. Just lay there and relax as best you can."

Bascomb injected the fluid into Chip's arm and just like Lee he grunted in pain as the compound rapidly spread throughout his body. He could feel the burn as it rushed through each artery, vein and capillary. The pain started as a subtle gnawing sensation and quickly began growing in size and intensity. Chip broke out in a sweat, fluid streaming from his pores.

After a quick survey of Chip's vital signs Bascomb injected the second serum into Chip's body. He grunted as the second dose surged through his body, the burning sensation spiked making him feel as though he was being cooked from the inside. He tried desperately to bite back the pain but a loud groan escaped as the properties of the serum began ripping his genetic code apart.

The third injection tore an agonizing scream out of Chip's mouth. As Bascomb activated the radiation unit the pain became uncontrollable and Chip screamed as his body began to morph into the new combined creature Bascomb was making. As with Lee, his muscles began twitching and growing in size, his face began to push outward as it took on feline contours, his teeth thickened and grew into fangs, and claws began forming on his fingers and toes. Chip felt as though he was literally being torn apart at the seams.

Lee let out a guttural snarl and a mournful howl; his only means of letting Chip know he was there for him through this horror. Chip turned his head towards Lee, tears streaming down his face from the terrific pain and they locked eyes giving them each a small degree of comfort knowing they weren't in this alone. Then another spike of pain hit Chip, his body arched up off the table and a cat-like yowl erupted from his throat. He was panting hard trying to control the pain but nothing was capable of stemming the wave upon wave of agony that pummeled his body. As Chip finally passed out a fine coat of tawny fur began to grow over his body.

Bascomb moved quickly to Chip's side and evaluated and recorded his vitals. "Damn, still too much serum and too much radiation."

Lee had backed away from the door and crouched in one corner of the room as tears of sorrow fell from his eyes. There was nothing he could have done to stop what had happened but he still felt responsible for letting that bastard get his hands on Chip and letting him put him through that hell. The fire of fury and rage continued to grow within Lee, he could feel his grip on his emotions beginning to wane and the temper that he worked so hard to keep in check was about to slip its leash.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Feeling helpless and restless over his inability to contact his Captain and XO, Admiral Nelson turned on his computer and initiated a search for any information about the island Lee and Chip had landed on. Much to his surprise he discovered that the island had been purchased from the government by one Dr. Phillip Bascomb. The idea that there might be someone living on the island gave Harri a moment of hope that his men had probably met up with the island's owner and were being offered his hospitality until they could be collected by the Seaview.

The name sounded vaguely familiar though, so Harri began digging further into Bascomb's background to find out why his name rang a bell. He quickly found numerous scientific articles authored by the man on various topics related to genetic engineering and species evolution. His theories and reported practices of attempting to mutate and imbue his animal subjects with more human traits sent a cold shiver down Harri's spine as the documents and news articles about the man evoked comparisons with Mengele and Wells' Dr. Moreau_. _ The more he read the more he became concerned that his men had in fact encountered the doctor.

Harri got up from his desk and made his way from his cabin to the control room. He walked over to the Radio Shack to get a status update from Sparks. "Sparks have you been able to make any contact with Captain Crane or Commander Morton?"

"Negative sir, I've been trying every thirty minutes or so and still no response." Sparks replied.

Harri moved over to the chart table and spoke with O'Brien "What's our ETA?"

"We should reach the island in just under 50 hours, sir." Bobby replied

"Take us to emergency flank, Mr. O'Brien." Nelson ordered.

"Aye sir, emergency flank." The order was immediately carried out and Seaview surged forward as the extra power was channeled through her engines. "Do you think they're in serious trouble sir?" Bobby asked quietly.

"I'm not sure what I think, yet," replied Harri. "Based on the research I've done on that island and the man that owns it, it is a distinct possibility especially with Captain Crane's proclivity to find trouble in even the most innocuous of places."

"Aye, sir." Bobby replied with a small smile.

"Keep us at emergency flank until the engines start to labor then back them off to flank until they cool down and can be cranked back up." Nelson ordered, the concern clearly evident in his eyes.

"Yes sir. I'll see if engineering can possibly coax a little more out of them." Bobby offered.

"Thank you Lieutenant." Harri said placing his hand on Bobby's shoulder giving a quick squeeze. "I'll be in my cabin conducting more research if you need me. Also would you have Chief Sharkey come to my quarters?"

"Yes sir."

Harri walked forward and up the staircase leading to his quarters. He wanted all the information he could find on Bascomb so he could have some idea what they might find when they got there. After about five minutes there was a knock on his door. "Come." Harri called.

Chief Francis Sharkey entered the room. "You wanted to see me Admiral?"

"Yes Chief. I need you to assemble a couple of search teams to help us locate the skipper and Mr. Morton if we can't find them when we get to the island. I want you to select those men who you feel the Captain and XO are closest to, like Kowalski, Patterson and Riley." Nelson explained.

"Aye sir. Do you mind if I ask why sir?" Sharkey inquired.

"I've been doing some research on the island where the captain and XO landed and have found some very unsettling information about the owner. The man that owns it is one Dr. Phillip Bascomb who is well noted for his less than ethical work in genetic research. The man's work has focused on altering the genetic composition of animals to rapidly add or eliminate physical traits. His experiments have been condemned throughout the scientific community and he disappeared just ahead of being arrested for experimentation on homeless people he kidnapped off the streets."

Sharkey shuddered at the idea of what could have been done to those poor people. "You're thinking this Bascomb may have gotten a hold of the skipper and Mr. Morton and may be doing experiments on them then?"

"It's a distinct possibility Chief. I want men Lee and Chip trust and know best so if they have been subjected to some sort of genetic manipulation there may be some chance they will recognize them." Harri explained.

"I'll get right on it sir. Uh…sir, if this Dr. Bascomb has had a go at them, how will we recognize them if he's been successful?" Sharkey inquired.

"I don't know, Chief. We can only hope that one of them can alert us or it remains obvious somehow that it is them."

Sharkey nodded grimly and exited the room to round up his teams.

/ooo(l)ooo\

It had been nearly eight hours since Chip had been returned to his cell following his treatment at Bascomb's hands. Lee listened intently for any sound that he was returning to consciousness after his transformation. All remained quiet in the cell spiking Lee's worry and anger even more. He let out a single howl to hopefully call to Chip and draw him back. As he waited for a response Lee paced rapidly across his cell gaining more experience and control over his new body.

After a while Lee started trying out different aspects of his altered form. He found that he could easily jump from the floor onto the table from a standing start. He was capable of doing nearly 200 pushups in two minutes; far exceeding anything he could do before. He looked around the cell more carefully and spied a small camera in one corner of the cell. The ceiling was easily 20 feet high. He pushed the table over to the corner, jumped up on the table then jumped up towards the ceiling and snatched the camera off the wall his first try. '_Chew on that one you son of a bitch' _Lee thought to himself as he hurled the camera to the floor smashing it into several pieces.

Lee scanned the pieces of the camera on the floor looking for anything that could be of use in getting him and Chip out of this place. Amongst the debris he found two pieces of metal that comprised part of the camera mounting bracket; he quickly snapped them up and examined them. They were thin but sturdy enough to be bent into the shapes he needed to pick the lock but he wondered if he still had the manual dexterity to manipulate them, making the small adjustments he needed to turn the tumblers in the locks. Wary of being discovered before he even began Lee once again carefully scanned his cell for any other signs of monitoring equipment. He found nothing else within the cell and sighed in relief.

As he prepared to attempt to pick the lock on the cell door he heard the laboratory door open and Bascomb entered. He moved immediately to Chip's cell and peered in, Chip had yet to regain consciousness. He unlocked the door entered the cell and pushed the table back into the center of the lab. Apparently he had left Chip strapped down to avoid the issues he had had with Crane.

Lee peered intently out the cell window taking in Chip's transfigured form. The effects of the serum were very similar to Lee's with the development of massive muscles, claws for fingernails, teeth now fangs, ears located near the top of his head and a shiny coat of tawny gold fur covering his body. The features of the panther were in full evidence on his face as it was now comprised of a short muzzle and flattened triangular nose with long white whiskers. His torso, arms and legs retained a definite human shape. The only major difference seemed to be that Chip's feet remained those of a man, unlike Lee's. Lee growled lowly at the doctor as he began evaluating Chip's condition.

As Bascomb worked taking Chip's pulse, measuring his blood pressure and respiration rate, and collecting fluid and fur samples Chip finally began to wake. He rolled his head slowly back and forth then pried his eyes open to find Bascomb peering back down at him. He tried desperately to break free of his bonds and seize the doctor by his throat.

"Tut, tut, Commander Morton, none of that. As I'm sure you're well aware after watching Captain Crane, you stand no chance of getting free of your bonds. Just lay back and relax while I finish my assessment of you. I must admit I'm rather disappointed in the results, I had hoped for far less transformation."

Chip's ice blue eyes glared at Bascomb and he let loose and low and menacing growl followed by a roar.

Lee howled quietly to Chip hoping that he too was cognizant of what had happened and retained his mental capacities as well. Chip rolled his head towards the door and made eye contact with Lee. Lee inclined his head as if to say "_Are you there_?"

Chip deliberately blinked and repeated Lee's motions. "_Yes, I'm here_." Chip saw the look of relief in Lee's eyes and took a measure of relief himself. The long years of friendship had developed an ability to almost read each other's mind much to the consternation of certain Navy brass. It was a vital connection now that gave them a better chance of escaping Bascomb's control.

Finished with his assessment, Bascomb pulled out a syringe and injected Chip with a heavy duty sedative quickly knocking him back out. He rolled the table back into the cell and removed the straps. He again rapidly exited the cell and ensured the door was securely locked.

"That should hold him for the next few hours," Bascomb said allowed. He turned and stared at Lee. "Are you ready for some dinner Captain? I imagine you're getting quite hungry by now."

Lee just snarled at the man and backed away from the window. Bascomb exited the lab presumably getting food and water for his subjects. He returned a few minutes later with bowls of water and food which he slid through the door slots. Lee once again sniffed at the food and detected the chemical signature of whatever Bascomb had dosed the food with. Lee made no move to pick up his meal and sat back in the corner of his cell glaring at Bascomb.

Bascomb shrugged. "As you wish, you'll eat when you get hungry enough." He turned and left the lab shutting off the lights as he went.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee sat quietly in the dark listening for any sound that Chip had regained consciousness but all he garnered was the steady breathing in the next cell. He crept slowly to the door and pulled out the two pieces of metal he had scavenged from the broken camera and began working on the lock. Much as he feared he had lost some of his sense of touch finding it difficult to feel the lock pins slip and move as he maneuvered the strips in the key hole. The one thing in his favor was that the lock was old and Bascomb had only been concerned about keeping animals in, not a trained ONI agent.

The work was becoming tedious as Lee tried time and again to find the correct sequence of moves that would allow him to open the lock. Had it been a combination lock it would have been a cinch with his enhanced hearing; he would have been able to hear the tumblers fall into place. Just as he felt like giving up he caught the subtle click of the last pin falling into place. He careful rotated his pick and the lock clicked open.

Lee slowly pushed open the door ever so slightly waiting for some sort of alarm or other detection device to catch the movement. When nothing was set off he pushed the door open a little more and cautiously eased his body out of the cell. Aware of the cameras over the operating area Lee scanned the rest of the room for any signs of additional monitors. He spotted one located over the main laboratory door and moved quickly to ensure it didn't capture the current activities in the lab. He jammed the door shut to prevent any unexpected entries until he was done getting Chip up and out of his cell.

Next he moved to Chip's cell door and scoped out the lock. It was the same type as the one to his cell and he quickly set to work picking the lock. After about an hour he felt the final pin settle into place and he turned the lock and opened the door. He moved slowly into the cell and found Chip still unconscious lying on the metal table. He shook him gently trying to wake him up but was unable to rouse him; Bascomb must have significantly increased the dosage after his experience with Lee.

Lee carefully pulled Chip up and over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and moved to the main laboratory door. He removed the equipment he had used to jam the door and eased it open. Behind the door was a long corridor leading to a set of stairs heading up. On either side of the corridor were numerous pens holding various animals. There were pigs, a couple of dogs, a goat, large cats, a black bear and a wolf, no doubt subjects for Bascomb's research. Lee moved rapidly down the corridor and paused at the stairs listening for any movement from above, hearing none he mounted the stairs and climbed to the next floor.

As he reached the top of the stairs he felt Chip begin to stir. Lee scanned the hallway in front of him quickly looking for some place where he could wait until Chip was fully awake and aware of what was going on. He crept silently down the hall trying the various doors as he went. He finally found one that was unlocked; he quietly opened the door and slipped inside with his burden.

Once inside he found that the room was set up like a dorm with two single beds on either side of the room, two desks with chairs, a chest of drawers and a small bathroom in one corner. Lee carefully laid Chip down on one of the beds and again tried to wake his friend.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Chip slowly started to become aware of the world around him. He noticed immediately that he was no longer lying on the hard metal table but instead on a soft mattress. Everything was quiet except for the hushed breathing off to one side. His whole body ached and the memory of what had occurred immediately flashed into his mind; his eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright.

He scanned the room quickly and realized it was not the cell where he had last awakened. As he looked to the corner where the bathroom was he spied a large creature enter the room. Instinctively he began to growl as it approached him. As his eyes adjusted to the low light he could make out the features of a large wolf-like animal moving towards him. The wolf had his hands up in a nonthreatening manner as if to signal him to be quiet. When he finally made out the amber eyes he knew that it was Lee and sighed in relief.

Aware that Chip now recognized him, Lee moved rapidly to Chip's side. He extended his hand and Chip willingly grabbed it. Lee pulled Chip to up to his feet and embraced him tightly; glad to once again have his brother with him. As they broke their embrace they rested their hands on each other's shoulders and just stared into the eyes of the other reestablishing that connection they had formed all those years ago at the Academy. They would have to rely on that subconscious connection as the primary means of communication since there was no way they could convey anything using words.

Chip tried to move forward but found that his legs were wobbly and his step uncertain. He had not had the chance to try out his new body yet and found himself uncharacteristically weak. He sat down quickly on the bed as he felt his legs tremble.

Seeing his friend's reaction Lee motioned to Chip to remain seated and to acclimate to his new body and regain some strength. He placed his hand on Chip's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze to try and tell him he understood what he was going through. Chip nodded, he stretched and shook out his legs trying to loosen the muscles and get a feel for his mutated form.

As Chip waited on the bed, Lee began opening the chest of drawers looking for anything they could use to help in their escape. He found several pair of large gym shorts and pulled out two pair passing one to Chip. They both quickly donned the shorts satisfying their sense of modesty; Bascomb's serum had modified and enhanced just about everything on their bodies and neither was all that comfortable with it all hanging out. While providing cover the shorts also gave them both more a sense of being human. They looked at each other and could see the small glimmer of laughter in each other's eyes.

Finding nothing else of value in the small chest Lee turned back to Chip and offered his hand. Chip quickly grabbed it and Lee pulled him back up to his feet. He assisted Chip in walking across the small room until he was able to move steadily by himself. When Chip indicated he was ready Lee carefully cracked open the door to the hall and scanned the corridor for signs that anyone was about.

They exited the room and moved stealthily down the hall towards the door at the end. Reaching the door they both peered through the window scanning the short corridor on the other side. The hallway had two doors on the opposite wall leading into what appeared to be an office and a storage room. At the end of the hall was another door that most likely led to an exit.

They cautiously opened the door waiting for the sound of alarms alerting Bascomb to their escape but all remained quiet. Lee pointed to the two rooms and indicated he would go into the door on the right and Chip should enter the door on the left. Chip knew instinctively that they would be searching for anything that would be of value once they exited the building.

Lee moved into the storage room and began scanning the various boxes and storage shelves. He found a length of rope, a machete, a large knife, a small backpack and packets of food like the MREs used by the military. He quickly loaded the pack with the food and rope, grabbed the machete and the knife and went looking for Chip.

In the office Chip lucked out finding their guns, and satellite phone. He snatched them up and turned to exit finding Lee coming down the hall. He passed Lee one of the guns and holsters and showed him the phone. Lee nodded in approval. They both quickly strapped the weapons on then moved quietly down the hallway to the door at the end. Lee slowly drew it open finding a short concrete stairway leading up to the outside.

It was dark and the cloudless sky was studded with stars. The night air was hot and humid and both Lee and Chip suddenly found themselves beginning to pant as their bodies tried to cool off. As they cautiously ascended the steps they found themselves in a small compound enclosed by a barbed wire fence, no doubt meant to keep Dr. Bascomb's experiments from gaining access to the doctor. In the center of the compound was a small house, probably where Bascomb lived and a smaller out building containing what sounded like a generator providing power to the compound.

Having made it out of the laboratory facility without alerting Bascomb, Lee figured that Bascomb never considered the possibility that his subjects would be able to escape and hadn't adjusted his mindset given his new choice of subjects. He was not so sure about the perimeter of the compound; it was most likely electrified and monitored to alert him to any attempts by his creations to gain access to the compound or the house. Lee began scanning the area for cameras and other monitoring equipment and any sign of an electrical connection to the fence. Chip quickly caught on to what Lee was doing and conducted his own surveillance of the compound.

Lee immediately spotted motion activated cameras positioned on each of the corner posts of the barrier fence pointed out into the jungle and saw a wire running from the generator shed to a control panel located near the compound gate. Lee tapped Chip on the shoulder and pointed out what he found. He pointed to Chip then the shed indicating he wanted him to take the generator out of commission. Then he pointed to himself and the gate indicating he was going to work on getting it open to allow them to escape.

Chip shook his head in the negative and pointed to the house, a feral snarl curling back his lips showing the lethal fangs he now possessed. Lee understood Chip's desire to go after the bastard that had tortured and disfigured them but he was the key to any chance they might have to regain their original form. He shook his head no, indicating they should go with his plan. Lee pointed out the gate and then placed four fingers upon his shoulder hoping Chip would understand that they needed to find the admiral; he could force Bascomb to reverse what he had done.

Chip's eyes hardened as he stared back at Lee, he wanted to exact his revenge on Bascomb for all he had done. Lee met Chip's gaze and with his expressive eyes implored Chip to come with him. After a moment Chip nodded and moved off to the shed to disable the generator inside.

Lee crept quietly up to the control panel and flipped the switch off; insurance in case Chip couldn't get the generator shut off or Bascomb discovered what they were up to and restored power. Next he moved to the gate finding a padlocked hasp securing it shut. He scanned the area around him and spotted a stack of rebar off to the side. He grabbed a bar and shoved it between the hasp and the gate and wrenched it off the fence post.

As Lee started to pull the gate open all the lights in the compound went out and Chip came running out of the shed. The next thing they heard was a shout from the house and Bascomb emerged onto the porch holding a high powered rifle. Bascomb aimed and fired at Chip as he ran but missed his mark and Lee and Chip sped out the gate and disappeared into the surrounding jungle.

/ooo(l)ooo\

"Status Mr. O'Brien." Nelson asked as he entered the control room.

"We've been running at emergency flank for the last 12 hours and the engines are really starting to labor and overheat, sir. I'd like to back them off to three quarters speed to give them a chance to cool down and give engineering a chance to evaluate their condition." O'Brien replied. "We're within 30 hours of the island now."

"Very well Bobby. Get us back up to speed as quickly as possible." Nelson replied.

"Aye, sir. Engine room, take us down to three quarters flank and carry out your assessment ASAP." O'Brien ordered.

"Three quarters, aye. Give us an hour and hopefully we can be back up and running," responded the chief engineer.

"Copy that. Let me know as soon as we're ready to go. O'Brien out."

Nelson nodded his agreement with O'Brien. As he looked up from the chart table he spotted Sharkey enter the control room and motioned him forward. "Have you got everything set, Chief?"

"Yes sir Admiral. I've got two teams of four men each. I'm guessing you want to head up one team and I'll head up the other." Sharkey replied.

"You guessed correct Chief. Make sure everyone is armed with tranquilizer guns along with rifles. If the captain or XO is beyond reason we want to capture them alive with as little damage as possible."

"Yes sir. I've already got the weapons and supplies ready to go once we reach the island."

"Good Chief." Nelson replied. "Bobby, I'm heading down to Sick Bay to brief Jamieson on the situation should you need me."

"Aye, sir."

Harri walked quickly down to Sick Bay and found Will Jamieson seated at his desk going over files. He closed the door and sat down in the chair beside Jamie's desk.

"Admiral, I'm just going over our favorite command team's records so I'm completely up to date when we bring them aboard," he said with a smile. As he looked at Nelson's face his smile began to fade. "What's wrong Harri? Have you heard something from them?"

"No there's still been no contact with them." Nelson responded. "Jamie I started doing some research on the island where they landed and have found some very disconcerting information which may be the reason why we haven't heard from Lee or Chip. Have you ever heard of Dr. Phillip Bascomb?"

"Bascomb…Bascomb… I think I remember reading something about a Dr. Bascomb and atrocities he was accused of committing in his research involving genetic mutation. Is that the one you're speaking of?"

"Yes. If it is the same man, he is the owner of record of the island and I'm afraid that he may have gotten his hands on Lee and Chip." Nelson replied.

Jamie blanched. "Oh god I hope to hell you're wrong Harri."

"Me too Jamie, me too. I just wanted you to be aware of what we might encounter once we get to the island if in fact Bascomb has managed to get a hold of them and decided to try his theories out on them."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Bascomb was furious and more than a little frightened realizing that like Frankenstein his monsters had now escaped and were far more dangerous than he ever imagined. He hadn't the slightest idea how they could have gained their freedom; he had totally underestimated the capabilities of his subjects. He returned quickly to the house and finished dressing then moved to the generator shed to restore power to the complex and the fence to hopefully keep his handiwork at bay.

Efficient and effective in everything he did, Chip had rendered the generator completely inoperative and without knowing exactly where he had sabotaged it, there was no way Bascomb was going to get it up and running again. Dashing from the shed he moved rapidly to the gate to secure it against any possible incursions by his creatures. Lee had likewise done a good job on destroying the lock and he had to find some other way to bar the gate. As he searched frantically for something with which to keep the gate shut Bascomb felt a growing terror welling up from his stomach as the noises in the surrounding jungle began taking on a surreal and ominous undertone as each snap of a branch or rustle of leaves could be something coming back for retribution.

Bascomb eventually found a padlock and chain and secured the compound gate but without the electric current running through the wire it was minimal protection from anything determined to get in. He returned to the house and barred the door then set to gathering and loading his weapons. Come sun up, he would go out in search of Crane and Morton and get them before they could get him. Once he had his firearms loaded he sat down in the large chair in the living room tightly holding his shotgun waiting for the return of the sun. The atmosphere was stifling as there was no air conditioning and he had closed and locked all of the windows; a lone lantern his only source of light. He sat there listening intently for the slightest hint that something might be outside the house, his eyes wide, head snapping rapidly from side to side with each creak or pop, terrified a monster would crash through the window or door at any minute.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee and Chip ran deep into the jungle avoiding Bascomb's shots and making good their escape. After running for about ten minutes Lee pulled to a stop followed quickly by Chip and they listened intently for any sounds of pursuit. Hearing no indication that Bascomb was on their trail they let out a relieved sigh. They needed a plan now but how best to communicate between them? Lee crouched down and cleared a small patch of ground exposing the dirt beneath. He drew a rectangle to represent the compound then a flattened disc and some wavy lines and four stars. He pointed to the compound then drew a line from there to the disc trying to convey he thought they should go to FS-1.

Chip shook his head violently in the negative. He pointed to the compound and drew his claws through it leaving no doubt about what he wanted to do. Lee stared at him for a moment, totally relating to Chip's need for revenge, he too wanted Bascomb to pay and was only marginally holding onto his urge to rip the man limb from limb. He shook his head no and pointed back to the four stars.

Chip narrowed his eyes and then stood slowly and turned back towards Bascomb's compound and started walking. Lee sprang to his feet and moved in front of Chip and popped him lightly on the back of the head. Chip's look of surprise made him laugh, which sounded much like a gurgling growl. Lee patted his own head meaning '_Think about this; keep emotion out of it_'. He grabbed Chip by the arm and led him back to the patch of dirt. Lee erased the figures and wrote 'Need Nelson and Bascomb 2 turn us back'.

Chip growled lowly but nodded recognizing the logic in Lee's words. He stood back up and started scanning the jungle trying to determine where they were and which way back to the beach. They had landed on the eastern side of the island and needed to start working their way in that direction. Luckily it was nearly dawn and the eastern sky was beginning to lighten as the sun returned. Chip pointed in that direction and they both stood and began working their way through the jungle.

They eased their way stealthily through the undergrowth and vines heading in the direction of FS-1. Remembering how they had fallen into Bascomb's hands in the first place, they ensured each step was placed on firm ground not sure where else he had located pitfalls on his island of horrors. As they moved they became aware that something was stalking them as well. Lee stopped and began scanning the foliage, sniffing the air and cocking his ears from side to side trying to locate what was following them.

Chip stared at Lee as he checked the surrounding area and then started doing the same, knowing if Lee suspected something was on their trail odds were he was right. After a moment they both noticed the fact that the fur running along their backs was standing on end. Whatever it was, they were instinctively wary of it ratcheting up their vigilance another several levels. Lee moved so his back was to Chip then they surveyed the canopy and area around them in earnest. They knew something was there but they as yet couldn't find it. After a few moments Lee stepped forward and motioned Chip to continue on with their return to FS-1. They would have to hope they could make it back before it came after them.

/ooo(l)ooo\

"Damn." Bobby O'Brien said under his breath as he finished getting the update from engineering. The engines were showing more wear and stress than was anticipated and they would not be able to return to emergency flank for any extended period of time. The chief engineer felt that flank speed at four-hour intervals with an hour running at two thirds flank to allow the engines to cool down was the best they could do without risking full engine failure. He turned over command to Lt. James and headed up to the admiral's cabin to deliver the bad news. He just hoped he'd have a head left after he gave the admiral his update.

He knocked on the door and got a terse "Come" from the room's occupant. He inhaled deeply; steeling his nerves then opened the door and stepped into the admiral's cabin. "Sir, I just got an update from engineering regarding engine status."

"Alright Bobby what's the news?" Nelson replied.

"Sir the chief engineer doesn't feel we'll be able to use emergency flank any longer because of the strain on the engines. He says the best we can do is four hours at flank with an hour at two-thirds to allow the engines to cool and to let them check the engines out after each run. Assuming we don't have to extend downtime any more than that, we would arrive at the island about 20 hours."

Nelson sat back in his chair and stared at O'Brien. "Damn, that's not the break we needed," he said gently rubbing his eyes and sighing in frustration. "Okay Bobby let's get this boat back underway and get us there at best speed. Have the chief engineer keep a close watch on those engines, we won't do Lee or Chip any good burning them out and floating helpless in the middle of the ocean."

"Aye, sir." Bobby replied. He moved to the handset on the wall and issued the orders to the control room which were quickly carried out. "We'll get there sir; count on that."

"I just hope we're in time, Bobby." Nelson answered. "Make sure that everything is ready to be deployed the minute we arrive; I don't want to waste any time getting on that island and finding our men."

"Yes, sir. I'll see to it personally." Bobby replied then turned and exited the admiral's cabin. Once outside he let loose of the breath he wasn't even aware he'd been holding. Well he had survived that but if he wanted that to continue he needed to make damn sure everything was set for immediate deployment once they got in range of the island. He moved quickly down the passageway in search of Chief Sharkey to verify he had everything he needed.

/ooo(l)ooo\

The sun was up and Bascomb finished packing his gear and prepared to head for the craft his wayward test subjects had arrived in. It was a safe bet that they would return there in hopes of finding their companions when they arrived at the island. He warily exited his house ensuring nothing had made it through the fence and was just waiting for him to step out. Once he was certain he was still safe he moved quickly to the gate and unlocked the chain and eased it open. Seeing nothing near the compound he exited the gate and began his hunt for Crane and Morton. He momentarily considered taking his ATV to accelerate his search but discarded that idea as the sound of the engine would alert anything out there to his approach.

He had the advantage of knowing the island and could move more rapidly than them using the few trails that cut across the jungle. He kept his rifle in hand in case he needed it to scare off or kill any of the modified denizens that stalked the woods. As he hurried down the trail he could almost feel their eyes upon him. The one advantage he held over his earlier creations is that they were terrified of him because of the the pain he had inflicted on them during his experiments and were reluctant to approach him directly. Up until now they had rarely ventured near, but now he knew they could probably smell the scent of fear that permeated his body.

Every rustle in the leaves, every broken branch had him spinning wildly around trying to determine the source. There was no doubt in his mind that Morton and Crane would make life most unpleasant for him if he didn't get them first. Also if the others picked up on his vulnerability they too would become bolder and more aggressive in coming after him.

Bascomb was now running headlong down the trail in both his fear and eagerness to eliminate the two mistakes he had created. His passage had not been missed and others began to follow. The smell of fear wafted through the air as he stumbled down the path drawing the others along like sharks on a blood trail.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee and Chip moved deeper into the jungle as they made their way to the eastern end of the island. As the vegetation before them began to thin they came upon the lake Chip had spotted from the air. They moved cautiously towards the edge of the water scanning the shoreline for any signs of other creatures. The lake was beautiful, crystal clear and appeared to be spring fed from some source far below the surface. They both sniffed at the water trying to detect any signs that it had been tainted by Bascomb; smelling nothing unusual then both kneeled and tried drinking the water from their cupped hands. They both found it incredibly difficult and finally gave in and lapped at the surface of the lake until they had quenched their thirst.

Exhausted and overheated by the growing warmth of the sun Lee dove out into the alluring water. The feeling was pure nirvana as the cool water seemed to wash away some of the aches and pains he'd acquired while in Bascomb's company. Chip quickly followed suit and they were soon feeling relaxed and refreshed. After they had rested Lee looked at Chip and pointed to the far end of the lake and made a swimming motion. It would be considerably faster to swim across the lake than to make their way along the edge of the shore. Chip nodded his understanding and agreement with Lee's assessment.

Lee climbed out of the lake and retrieved the backpack he had acquired at the compound. He pulled out the rope and tethered it to the pack and made a loop at the other end so that he could put it over his neck and shoulder to tow the pack behind him. He pulled out the knife and handed it to Chip then placed his gun in the pack as did Chip, sealed it back up and then struck out across the lake. As they began their swim so did something else, following discretely behind.

Midway across the lake the 'something else' grabbed the trailing pack and dove for the bottom of the lake. Lee was viciously jerked back as he was attached to the pack by the rope and suddenly was pulled beneath the surface. He struggled against the rope trying desperately to get the loop over his head and off his shoulder before he ran out of air and drown. Seeing Lee disappear Chip immediately dove after him to try and help him escape from whatever had grabbed the pack.

As they neared the bottom the rate of descent slackened and Chip was able to get a hold of Lee and then the rope. Lee was no longer fighting as he began to lose consciousness. Chip pulled out the knife and began frantically sawing at the rope until it parted. As Lee floated free he grabbed him by the wrist and kicked for all he was worth heading for the surface. His lungs were beginning to ache, the urge to inhale nearly uncontrollable and just as he thought he couldn't resist any longer he broached the surface. Chip gasped, sucking in a huge breath of air. He quickly flipped Lee onto his back and prayed he would be able to take a breath as well. After what seemed like an eternity Lee coughed and hacked up water as he too took a breath.

Chip flipped on his back and pulled Lee tightly against his chest, allowing him to rest and regain his breath and his strength. Once he felt Lee was more in control he slipped his arm across his chest and started towing him towards shore. They needed to get out of the water before whatever that was came back.

As Lee regained his strength he pulled at Chip's arm indicating that he wanted to be released. Chip let go and turned to face Lee. Chip's look conveyed '_Are you okay?_' Lee's response as expected was '_I'm fine._' Chip rolled his eyes and smiled as best he could. Lee placed his hand on Chip's shoulder and looked deeply in his eyes. '_Thanks, bro._' Chip patted Lee on the shoulder and then they resumed swimming towards the other side.

Nearly three-quarters of the way across the lake Lee flipped over on his back to see if they were being followed. He suddenly grabbed Chip's arm and pointed to what looked like an alligator closing in quickly just below the surface. There was no way both of them could beat that thing to shore so they both stopped and faced it head on. Chip pulled out the knife ready to defend against the attack as Lee moved slightly in front of him. Lee would draw the gator's attention and Chip could move in and use the knife without having to fend off the animal.

As it closed in on them, they could clearly see this was another of Bascomb's experiments. The gator's mouth had been significantly shortened, the head broadened with the hint of a forehead rising from the skull, its arms and legs were disproportionately longer, its paws morphed more into fingers and its tail truncated and thickened as it was drawn into the body. Even its coloring had been changed from the usual variegated greens and blacks to a sickly peach coloring, compliments of the doctor. It was something born of nightmares, not of nature.

It focused entirely on Crane as it prepared for its attack. In a sudden flurry it surged at Lee, its hideous mouth opened wide displaying double rows of sharp teeth. Lee shoved his hands forward hitting the animal's snout preventing it from sinking its teeth into his flesh. Chip dove beneath the water and came up under the animal ramming the knife into its flesh midline of the torso, just behind the jaw. The creature's response was immediate as it tried to pull away from the pain. It thrashed and rolled in the water, its prey forgotten. Chip held on tightly rolling with the gator and pulled the knife down its belly until it blundered free, fully gutting the beast.

The water was now tinged with a dark red cloud as the gator's blood and entrails spilled out and it sank slowly to the bottom of the lake. Lee swam quickly over to Chip to check on his friend's condition; he sincerely hoped none of that red belonged to him. As he touched Chip's shoulder he spun around his eyes wide and filled with a feral gleam as though something very primal had been awakened in him, he was breathing hard and was very agitated. Chip snarled and let loose a low menacing growl. Lee looked into his brother's eyes trying to call him back and calm him down. After a moment Chip blinked, seemingly pushing back the animal that emerged during the battle, he met Lee's gaze and nodded. Lee squeezed his shoulder, inclined his head towards the shoreline and resumed his swim followed closely by Chip.

Finally reaching the shore, they hauled themselves out of the water and collapsed in exhaustion on the sand beach. They were all but spent having endured Bascomb's procedure, escaping the facility, and swimming the lake while having to fight for their lives. They had no concept of how much time had passed but they knew it had been several days. They were also keenly aware that they hadn't eaten in that time as their stomachs roared demanding attention. Too tired to respond to the call they both passed out under the warm sun.

/ooo(l)ooo\

He could clearly hear them now as they began to close in on him; there was no doubt in Bascomb's mind that he was now being hunted by those things he had created. He mentally cursed himself for letting his fear get the better of him and not remaining in the relative safety of the compound. He should have forced Crane and Morton to come back to him and he knew they would have in hopes that he could reverse the process. By rushing out, leaving his safe haven, he was as much the hunted as the two men he now pursued.

Exhausted from his run through the jungle, he stopped in a small clearing to rest and catch his breath. It was nearly midday now and the temperature was rising quickly, further zapping his strength. He pulled out a bottle of water and quenched his thirst. He could not fully relax having to constantly stay alert for any sign that something was ready to attack. He rooted through his pack and grabbed an energy bar hoping it would fortify his stamina and allow him to complete his ill-chosen task.

As he unwrapped the bar and started to eat, the jungle in front of him suddenly exploded as the bear-man rushed into the clearing. The creature was large, almost as big as Crane and Morton but far more heavily muscled. Its muzzle had shortened and become broader and its forehead had risen and become more prominent following the transformation process it had been forced through. The bear's closer resemblance to a man's body left its arms and legs relatively unchanged but its paws had lengthened and morphed more into individual fingers with long thick claws extending from the tips. It advanced rapidly towards Bascomb, its hideous face sported a lethal sneer with its lips curled back exposing the long, bright white teeth it intended to sink into his flesh. Bascomb grabbed his rifle and took aim at the creature as it charged him. As he tried to get a clear shot he tripped over a rock and fell over backwards landing flat on his back. He scuttled back rapidly trying to regain his aim at the approaching beast.

Unable to get a clear shot Bascomb tried to regain his feet just as the manimal lunged at him. He felt its claws rake his side as he rolled to one side. He finally scampered to his feet and raised his gun towards his attacker's chest and pulled the trigger just as it snatched the gun from his hands. The shot was on target and tore a hole through the beast. It screamed out in agony and frustration as it staggered backwards and collapsed on the ground dead.

The jungle went silent. Bascomb sank to his knees breathing raggedly as he felt his blood flowing out of the deep scratches the bear-man had inflicted on him. He placed his hand to his side then brought it back before his eyes; he nearly passed out finding his hand completely covered in blood. He crawled back over to his pack and pulled out the spare shirt he had brought along and tied it tightly over the wound to stem the flow. He sat back against a tree trunk and tried to gather his wits and his strength following the attack. As he sat there trying to collect himself he wondered aloud, "How did this get so out of control?"

He hoped that in killing the bear-man the other creatures might now back off since he had demonstrated he would not hesitate to kill them. The birds and insects slowly resumed their chirps and chirrs in the canopy but thankfully the sound of larger animals skulking around had stopped. Bascomb sat there awhile longer then pushed himself to his feet, reloaded his gun and continued on his way to find and kill Morton and Crane. Reason and logic no longer belonged to Bascomb, he was now driven forward by an obsessive and instinctive need to terminate those responsible for the disruption of his orderly world.

/ooo(l)ooo\

"Admiral, this is O'Brien"

"Nelson here, what is it Bobby?"

"Sir we're within 30 minutes of the island. All teams have been assembled and are ready for immediate deployment."

"Excellent. I'll be there momentarily. Nelson out."

Nelson completed dressing in his fatigues, strapped on his sidearm and exited his cabin to join up with the search teams assembled in the missile room. He walked rapidly down the corridor; the men he encountered flattened themselves quickly against the bulkheads so he could pass unimpeded to his destination. As he entered the missile room the men assembled there snapped to attention ready for their briefing and ready to recover the captain and XO.

Harri nodded in appreciation of their readiness; Seaview was not a military vessel and military decorum was not routinely practiced but his men's commitment and focus to this mission spoke volumes. "At ease." Harri directed. The men all shifted to parade rest.

"Gentlemen, I'm not sure how much Chief Sharkey has relayed to you but I will now fill you in on what I fear may have happened to our command officers. The man that owns this island has in the past experimented on fully grown animals for the purpose of mutating genetic codes to enhance or alter traits and capabilities. My fear is that he was able to subdue Captain Crane and Commander Morton and carry his experiments out on them. If this is the case the captain and XO may no longer be recognizable to us and conversely they may no longer be able to recognize or communicate with us. I'm hoping that we will be able to somehow identify and capture them without causing them harm, therefore our primary weapon in this search is the tranquilizer gun; the rifle is to only be used as a last resort. Is that understood?"

The assembled men stared in disbelief as the admiral provided the mission brief. Was some bastard really experimenting on men and animals trying to make them into something else? A shiver of disgust and hatred rippled through the group as they considered what the skipper and XO may have been subjected to at the hands of that madman. They all nodded their understanding of the admiral's orders.

"Good. We don't know what we will find and what other creatures may be running about on that island so remain constantly alert and stay with your team. As soon as Mr. O'Brien signals we are in position I want in the rafts and on our way to the island without delay. Make sure all your gear is loaded and ready to go; we should be there within the next few minutes. Just so you are aware I have been in contact with the government and they have no intention of providing any assistance in retrieving our missing men so the success of this mission rests solely with us. " Nelson continued.

The teams grabbed their gear and did another quick check to ensure they had everything they needed then pulled on their packs and awaited the signal to go. Their faces were grim clearly displaying their determination to succeed in finding their captain and XO hopefully safe and sound but given the captain's knack for finding trouble they all doubted the odds of that occurring.

As they waited for the signal to move they felt the Seaview begin her rise to the surface. "Admiral we are in position. We've spotted FS-1 and there is no sign of Captain Crane or Mr. Morton. The rafts are inflated and ready for you to shove off." O'Brien called over the intercom.

Nelson picked up the mic. "Thank you Mr. O'Brien, we're on our way." He turned to the rescue teams, "Alright you heard Mr. O'Brien let's go."

They all immediately fell in line and marched quickly to the aft hatch and ascended the ladder to Seaview's deck. They rapidly claimed their seats in the raft, pushed off and started up the outboards propelling them to shore. They reached the beach in short order and moved to FS-1 to see if by chance the missing men were inside perhaps taking a nap. As Kowalski opened the hatch a heated wave of stale air reeking of charred circuits flowed out of FS-1.

"Doesn't look like anyone has been in here in a while sir." Kowalski commented.

Nelson ducked his head inside taking in the damage to the electrical panels and the stale air. "I think you're right Kowalski, if they had been using FS-1 for shelter it would have been aired out better than this. Men I think it is safe to assume our worst case scenario. Patterson, Riley, do a quick recon of the area on the edge of the jungle and see if you can find any indication which direction they may have gone."

"Aye, sir" they both responded and moved off to scour the area.

"The rest of you move along the beach and look for any other signs of our men or anything else that may be hiding on this island." Nelson continued.

The rescue teams scattered fanning out along the edge of the jungle and down the beach in either direction. Within seconds Thompson called out, "Admiral Nelson I've found some weird tracks here."

Nelson and Sharkey moved quickly over to Thompson's position and knelt down to examine the prints in the wet sand. They definitely weren't human, more in the lines of a pig or goat but they were definitely made by a biped. Nelson felt a cold shiver skitter down his spine and a sense of dread and foreboding took up residence in the pit of his stomach, all he had suspected of occurring on this island appeared to be true. Additional calls came from other men as they too found signs of creatures visiting the beach.

"Admiral, I've found a path hacked out here heading into the jungle sir." Patterson called out to Nelson. He hurried over to Patterson's location and took in the trail that had recently been cut through the foliage. Moments later Riley sounded off. "Admiral I've found what looks to be a game trail or something similar, sir."

Nelson recalled all the men. "We've got two possible routes to begin our search for Captain Crane and Commander Morton. Sharkey take your team down the path Patterson found, I'll take my team down the game trail. Maintain radio contact with Seaview and with the other team so we have a constant fix on each group's location. By the looks of the tracks we've found on the beach Bascomb has been busy at his research so there's no telling what's lurking in the jungle. Stay alert and remember use the tranq guns as your primary weapon only resort to a rifle as your last resort. Is everybody clear on that?"

All the men nodded their heads, a grim scowl settling on each man's face. The teams peeled off and started down their respective trails in search of their skipper and XO.

"Nelson to Seaview."

"Seaview here, sir." O'Brien responded.

"Bobby, get a recovery team over here to FS-1 and see what can be done about getting it back aboard. Also send a security team with them in case Lee or Chip return or something else comes calling. Arm them like the search and rescue team and give them the same instructions. Let me know of any changes at the beach." Nelson ordered.

"Aye sir, I'll have a team over there in 20 minutes. Good luck sir."

"Good. Thank you Bobby, Nelson out."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee finally started his rise towards consciousness. He rolled his head from side to side trying to shake the cobwebs out and pry his eyes open. Giving it his all he forced his eyes open and blinked rapidly as they adjusted to the bright sunshine. He looked quickly around him and spotted Chip lying next to him. He moved carefully over to him and gently shook his shoulder.

Chip's eyes immediately snapped open and fixed on Lee; he let out a low growl until he recognized the man next to him. He reached up and gently patted Lee's hand letting him know that he had joined him and knew who he was. Lee nodded back.

They both climbed to their feet and scanned the area around them. Nothing had come calling while they had slept and they both sighed in relief. Several hours had passed since they crawled up on the beach as was evidenced by the sun's position in the western sky. They had sorely needed the rest and aside from the gnawing hunger in their bellies they felt refreshed and ready to continue to their trek back to FS-1.

As they scanned the edge of the jungle Chip spotted a path leading away from the lake in the general direction they needed to go. He tapped Lee on the shoulder and pointed out the trail. Lee nodded and started walking towards the trail. They quickly scoped it out and decided that this was most likely a game trail used by the animals Bascomb had released into the wilds. They proceeded cautiously down the path listening intently for anything else that might be using it.

After covering about 500 yards the trail joined up with another wider trail running east and west across the island. The pathway appeared to have been initially cut by machine or machete and not something created by the routine passage of animals going to the watering hole. They looked up and down the path before them then Lee nodded to the east and they continued down the trail. Bascomb must have made this one and probably used it to travel across his island checking on the status of his lab experiments. Lee and Chip knew if he were stupid enough to come out after them, he would be using this path to make his way towards FS-1.

They moved cautiously down the trail looking for any signs that Bascomb was out and about. Suddenly they both stopped catching the smell of something on the wind. They knew instantly the scent was Bascomb, blood and something else they couldn't quite recognize, they continued to sniff the air trying to locate the source. They walked slowly down the path until Lee froze and knelt down next to drops of blood on the jungle floor. Lee touched the red splotches and found them still damp, Bascomb had passed by there not too long ago. The smell of blood was making them both hungry and both were a little embarrassed when their stomach growled loudly once again demanding attention.

Lee stood back up and motioned down the trail picking up his pace to close the distance between them and their new quarry. Taking in more of the scents on the air the identity of the mystery smell finally dawned on them; fear, they smelled fear which meant Bascomb knew he was now the hunted. Feral sneers formed on their faces and growls of satisfaction rumbled in their throats as they started trotting down the trail.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Bascomb was losing it, the scratches he'd received from the bear-man were bleeding badly and his strength was rapidly ebbing with each drop that fell. If he were smart he would turn back now and head for home to tend his wounds and regain his strength. Something within his mind would not let reason take lease but instead forced him forward towards the eastern shore. He was closer to his goal now and hopefully this would all end shortly and he could go back to his house, back to his lab and forget he had ever found those men. He cursed the day Morton and Crane arrived; they were the cause of all this pain and inconvenience.

As he slogged down the trail he suddenly became aware of men's voices as they called out. "Skipper", "Mr. Morton", "Lee", "Chip" echoed through the canopy. This was the last thing Bascomb needed, the arrival of his subject's comrades. Their presence would bring to an end his quiet, private life on this island; his life's work would be terminated and his freedom if not his life would most surely be revoked.

He would not let that happen, he must deal with this threat at once, after all this was his island and they were unwelcome trespassers. Who could possibly blame him for eliminating those who posed such a dangerous threat to him? Bascomb rapidly scanned the area around him looking for a vantage point from which to mount his attack. He could pick them off one at a time as they walked down the trail.

He search was rewarded when he spied a large outcropping of rocks off to the side of the path with a clear view of the trail below. He moved as quickly as he could to the base of the outcrop and then climbed up towards the top looking for an appropriate perch from which to ambush the intruders. As he came to the top he found a flat cap rock providing the perfect platform from which to fire. He could stretch out flat and fire on the unsuspecting men below with minimal chance of being hit by return fire if they were armed. Finally it seemed his luck was changing.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Harri and his search party continued down the wide trail calling out to their missing officers in hopes that would draw them near. Harri had taken point and was leading the group when suddenly a shot rang out and he was hit in the arm and knocked to ground by the impact of the bullet. The search team scattered, pulled out their rifles and began laying down suppressing fire as Kowalski grabbed the admiral and dragged him off to the side of the trail behind a tree.

At the same time that Bascomb fired, Lee and Chip had caught sight of the search team just as Nelson was slammed to the ground. Howls of rage tore from their throats and they immediately began scouring the area looking and sniffing for any clue as to where Bascomb was hiding. They locked onto him quickly and began bounding up the outcropping of rock. The tenuous hold Lee had on his temper snapped, his rage had been set free and nothing short of a bullet was going to hold it in check.

As he and Chip topped the rocks they spotted Bascomb stretched out before them trying to take aim at another of the Seaview's men below. Hearing the low and menacing growls behind him Bascomb rolled over and swung his gun up to try and take out Crane and Morton. Lee slapped the gun out of his hands and watched in satisfaction as Bascomb cowered before them. Chip moved forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. Lee swiped at him ripping through his shirt and his back; Chip bared his claws and took his shot too. Bascomb screamed out in pain and terror as the two huge predators he created were now ready to demonstrate what else had been released when he severed those bonds of humanity. They made quick work of the cowering doctor, their only thoughts focused on protecting their men and exacting a measure of justice, poetic justice at that, for all the creatures that SOB had tortured over the years. Just as Moreau and Frankenstein had been undone by their creations, Bascomb now met the same sticky end.

Once Bascomb was no more a concern, the more human part of Lee and Chip once more asserted itself as the adrenaline rush faded and their fury ebbed away. They looked at each other and realized they may had just sealed their fate, doomed to remain in their current form as the doctor was no longer capable of reversing the process. They also realized that their men were now safe which provided some sense of consolation. They felt no remorse in what they had done; it had all been instinctual, protecting what they valued most. Wiping the blood off of their faces and hands on Bascomb's clothes they descended the outcrop and moved back onto the trail.

They moved to the center, and then walked forward slowly as they spied the rifles aimed at them ready to dispatch them should they prove to be a threat. The Seaview men stared in amazement at the huge black wolf and the equally large golden panther walking upright down the trail towards them.

"Do those animals have shorts on?" asked Riley as they got closer to the group.

"Yeah, they do." answered Kowalski with a small smile.

Nelson struggled to his feet and reentered the path; he stared intently at the creatures that now faced them looking for any sign that these were his missing friends. As he looked them over the wolf moved to scratch his face with his left hand at which point Harri spied Lee's ring nestled amidst the dark fur covering the hand. He barely whispered his question, "Lee?"

The golden eyes of the wolf connected with Nelson's and he nodded in response. He looked at the panther and asked louder, "Chip?" Chip likewise inclined his head and gave the admiral a casual salute.

"Oh my god, what has that bastard done to you?" Nelson replied. The rest of the rescue party stood in frozen silence gaping at the horrific changes to their commanding officers.

Nelson moved forward tentatively and reached up placing his hand on Lee's face cupping his cheek and locking eyes with the man he considered his son. Tears welled up in his eyes as he felt the soft fur now covering Lee's face and took in the sad amber eyes that left no doubt that this was in fact Lee Crane. Lee canted his head into Harri's palm and closed his eyes for a moment, a single tear rolling down one cheek, taking some measure of solace that the admiral had found them; they at least had some modicum of hope that the process could be reversed now that Harri was here.

Gently withdrawing his hand, Harri turned next to Chip and placed his hand on his shoulder locking eyes with the young man seeing the same despair behind those piercing blue eyes. He raised his hand to Chip's face and cupped it as well. Chip sighed deeply as he took comfort in having the admiral there as well. The moment was broken by the sound of the approach of the other team, shattering the solemn silence that had descended on the jungle at this bittersweet reunion. Harri dropped his hand and stepped back from his men.

"Admiral are you all okay sir?" Sharkey called out having spied the team in front of them. As they moved forward to join the group they froze taking in the sight of the two large animals in front of them.

"Skipper? Mr. Morton?" Sharkey asked incredulously. Lee and Chip both inclined their heads towards the second group. "Oh no." he said in hushed despair.

Lee stepped towards the admiral and gently touched his wounded arm. Harri flinched slightly at the pain and raised his hand to the wound. Lee made immediate eye contact with Kowalski and then looked back at the admiral clearly indicating he wanted the wound tended to by the trained field medic in the group. Caught in his captain's intense gaze, Ski felt a shiver run down his spine then jumped to action snatching up his pack and pulling out the first aid kit. Lee nodded in approval and backed off.

Ski quickly cut off the admiral's shirt sleeve exposing the injury; it was a clean in and out and he set to cleansing the wound and applying a pressure bandage to stem the flow of blood. Once he was done Nelson nodded his appreciation to Kowalski and pulled out his radio.

"Nelson to Seaview, come in Seaview."

"Seaview here, Admiral." O'Brien replied almost immediately.

"The mission was successful we've found the captain and the XO and will be returning to Seaview in short order. Have Jamieson standing by to meet us when we arrive."

There was no relief or joy in the admiral's voice and Bobby felt a sense of dread descend over the control room as they all listened to his words. "Aye sir. Are Captain Crane and Mr. Morton okay sir?" O'Brien inquired.

"In a manner of speaking I suppose so," replied Nelson flatly. "How are they doing getting FS-1 back on board?"

"They're towing her out to us as we speak sir. Once they reach an adequate depth they'll submerge her and we'll pull her into her berth with the remote retrieval system. She should be safely docked within the hour." Bobby replied.

"Very good Mr. O'Brien. We'll be back at the beach directly and on our way back to the sub shortly after that. Nelson out." Harri turned back to regard his changed men shaking his head in sorrow. "Well gentlemen, let's get you back home and see what we can do to rectify this unfortunate turn of events. Chief, lead the way."

Sharkey nodded to the admiral, then to his captain and XO and started the return march back to the beach. The walk was made in silence as each man was lost in his own thoughts, that was until Lee and Chip's stomachs growled loudly letting them all know they had been neglected long enough. The group turned and looked at the men more than slightly amused. They both shrugged, they hadn't eaten in quite some time.

Ski and Patterson pulled off their packs and rooted around until they pulled out a couple of roast beef sandwiches. Lee and Chip both started drooling at the enticing aroma wafting over from the treats. Once the sandwiches had been divested of their outer wrappings they were virtually snatched out of Ski and Pat's hands and consumed in three bites. Sharkey and Thompson pulled their sandwiches out as well and offered them to the captain and XO which were dispatched just as quickly. Their bellies now full they nodded their thanks to the men for sharing their meal.

"I hope you're feeling better now," Harri said with a smile. Both men nodded and patted their stomachs.

Everyone seemed to relax a bit and they resumed their hike back to the beach. As they arrived they met up with the security detail that remained to guard the zodiacs after the recovery team got FS-1 off the beach and back out to sea. The security team stared in amazement as the search and rescue teams approached closely followed by the wolf and panther.

Mackey moved up to report to the admiral. "Sir FS-1 has been successfully recovered and is aboard Seaview." Mackey's eyes kept straying to the large animals waiting behind the admiral.

"Thank you Mackey that's good to hear. Let's get loaded up and head back." Nelson replied.

"Skipper is that you?" Mackey asked warily.

Lee looked at him and nodded. He and Chip were both going to have to get used to the stares until the admiral turned them back or they needed to disappear. There was no way either of them would be staying around if this couldn't be rectified; they had no desire to go through life like some sort of pathetic elephant man constantly hiding their appearance from public view.

As the inflatable boats were pulled into the surf they all hopped aboard and engaged the small outboard motors moving them rapidly towards Seaview. Lee and Chip's eyes glowed with delight as they spotted their boat, a sight neither really expected to see again once Bascomb got a hold of them.

/ooo(l)ooo\

As they neared Seaview lines were tossed to eagerly waiting hands and the zodiacs were pulled securely onto the great submarine's deck. O'Brien and Jamieson surged forward to greet the returning crew and to ascertain the condition of the missing command crew. Those on deck gasped in disbelief as Crane and Morton climbed from the boats.

"Admiral, you've been injured. Are you okay sir?" O'Brien said taking in the tattered and blood stained shirt.

"Yes Mr. O'Brien, I'll survive." Nelson replied as he climbed aboard Seaview. "Bobby, Jamie the wolf is Captain Crane and the panther is Commander Morton." They stared in amazement and Jamie moved quickly to the admiral's side to do an initial assessment of his injury much to the consternation of Nelson. Batting at Jamie's hand as he fussed with the bandage the doctor glowered at him.

Still somewhat stunned by their altered appearance it took Bobby a moment to register what Nelson had said. Finally coming to his senses he called to the honor guard, "Pipe the Captain aboard." The boatswain signaled the captain's return to the vessel as the crew snapped to attention. Lee nodded his appreciation, the joy at being back aboard his vessel clearly evident in his eyes.

Jamie moved over to Lee and Chip and tentatively touched them each on the shoulder and made eye contact. "Come on gentlemen I need to break my one rule and get all of you down to Sick Bay for an examination and in your case Admiral a little repair work."

Chip and Lee smiled as best they could and followed Jamieson through the hatch and down into the control room. The men tending the various stations sat in stunned silence as the captain and the XO descended the ladder into the control room each characteristically eschewing the last few rungs and dropping to the deck. Word had spread quickly about what had happened to their commanding officers but nothing could prepare them for what they saw.

"Welcome aboard sirs," Lt. James said once everyone was down the ladder.

Lee and Chip both inclined their heads towards James acknowledging his welcome. Out of long habit they immediately began scanning the conn and each station they could see, ascertaining the status and readiness of their boat. That alone left no doubt in the crew's minds that they were in fact their skipper and XO.

After a moment Jamie cleared his throat. "If you please sirs, you have an appointment in sick bay." Lee and Chip both rolled their eyes providing a much needed release of tension as the men chuckled at the command crew's well known dislike of that one section of the boat. Jamie exited the control room followed by the admiral, Lee and Chip.

They moved quickly through the boat to sick bay. Frank and Michael were busily assembling the necessary equipment for Dr. Jamieson to treat the admiral's wound. Frank nearly dropped his tray as he was startled by the appearance of the large animals that followed Jamieson into the room.

"Admiral, please take a seat on the gurney," Will said indicating the table in the middle of the room. "Skipper if you would take the seat by my desk and Chip the chair by that cabinet we can start collecting vitals and blood samples and hopefully find some way out of this mess."

Lee nodded and started moving towards Jamie's desk. He stopped suddenly as he spied the mirror on the wall near the head as he got a look at his face for the first time. He slowly raised his hands to his head and touched his ears, nose, muzzle and teeth. He closed his eyes tightly and fisted his hands as the final reality of his transformation was visible before his eyes.

Chip noticed Lee freeze and moved to his side worried that something was wrong. As he neared Lee's side he immediately understood what had happened as he too caught his first glimpse of his new face since Bascomb's procedure. He also raised his hands to his face and touched and examined his new features. As he stared into the mirror Lee opened his eyes and they locked gazes in the mirror. This final bit of information made their whole ordeal irrevocably real; other than their eyes there was nothing left to identify them as themselves. The anguish they saw in the other's eyes tore at their heart and those of the other men in the room. Sorely tempted to grab the mirror off the wall and smash it to the floor, Lee backed away slowly and lowered himself onto the chair and cradled his head in his hands.

Chip moved over to Lee and squatted down in front of him placing his hand on the back of his neck and touching his head to Lee's. Lee removed one hand from his face and likewise placed it on Chip's neck as they each dealt with the shock of what stared back at them from the mirror. After a moment of silence they raised their heads and sighed deeply. Chip stood back up and moved to the chair Jamie had indicated to await the poking and prodding that always seemed to come with time spent in this room.

As Frank and Michael gathered the requisite samples and vital signs information, Will worked quietly on the admiral's gunshot wound thoroughly cleansing it and efficiently stitching it shut. He gave Harri a shot of penicillin to fight off infection and a hefty shot of painkiller to handle the ache in his arm and the one that was apparently growing in his head.

"Well, all things considered Admiral, you got off pretty light. The bullet did minimal damage and Kowalski did an excellent job cleaning it up in the field and reducing the opportunity for infection. If you'll lie down and rest in that bunk for the next couple of hours I'll release you to your cabin tonight."

"Thanks Jamie," Nelson replied. "If it's all right I'll just sit up for a while as you check Lee and Chip over."

"That's fine but try and relax and let your arm rest."

Jamie conducted comprehensive exams of both Lee and Chip checking heart, blood pressure, lung function, temperature, reflexes, and neurological functions along with analyzing the blood and urine samples collected when they first arrived. The results of his exams indicated that their biological functions were an average between the norms for the two species they were each comprised of thanks to Bascomb.

"Well gentlemen, I have no real idea what passes for normal given your current situation but based on what I've found you're both physically well. Although you are both in need of a good meal and a few hours of shut-eye." They both nodded their understanding.

"Jamie why don't you call down to the galley and have Cookie make up trays for us and have them brought down. We need to discuss what our next move is and find some way for Lee and Chip to participate in that discussion." Nelson offered. Again both Chip and Lee nodded emphatically especially with regards to finding a way for them to communicate.

"Frank would you go down and arrange things with Cookie?" Jamieson asked his corpsman.

"Right away sir." Frank said as he departed sick bay.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee rose for his spot on the gurney and moved to Jamie's desk and picked up a pen and clipboard. He found it difficult to grip the pen given the changes that had occurred to his hands. He attempted to write out a message but the resulting scrawl was practically illegible. He passed the clipboard and pen to Chip so he could try and his writing was even worse.

"Well scratch that one." Nelson observed.

Chip tapped the pen against the clipboard in frustration until an idea occurred to him. He began tapping out Lee's name in Morse code. '.-.. . .' He repeated the sequence again, '.-.. . .' To the rest of the group it seemed as though Chip was just distractedly tapping and it was becoming a bit annoying. Lee looked at him and rolled his eyes. Chip pulled a sheet of paper off clipboard, crumpled it up and threw it at Lee to get his attention. He once again tapped out his sequence only slower and with more emphasis. '**.-.. . .**' He saw the light bulb go on over Lee's head as he finally grasped Chip's message.

Lee picked up a pen and tapped his response back to Chip, '-.-. ... .. .-. / -. - - -.. / - ... .. -. -.- .. -. -.' (_Chip good thinking_). By now Nelson had caught on to what his boys were doing and joined in the conversation, '.- . .-.. .-.. / -.. - -. . / -.-. ... .. .-. / .. - .-. ... / .- / ... - .- .-. –' (_Well done Chip, it's a start_).

Jamie looking on in confusion as they exchanged taps back and forth. "Am I missing something Admiral or have you all just developed nervous tics?"

"Morse code Jamie, for the time being we can use Morse until we can find something else that we all can use." Nelson explained.

"What can you tell us about what happened to you in Bascomb's lab?" Nelson asked.

"_We were strapped down to a table and then injected with a series of three serums designed to break the bonds of our DNA strands and allow for the insertion of new codes that would modify our physical makeup. Following the injection of the third serum we were exposed to a burst of gamma radiation to accelerate the reaction and force the transformation into the modified creature he wanted to make. Obviously Bascomb chose a wolf as the DNA donor for me and Chip got the attributes of a panther_." Lee explained and Nelson translated for Jamie.

"_Once Lee had gone through the entire transformation Bascomb said that he had used too much serum because he got more mutation than he was after._" Chip added.

"_That's right_," Lee replied. "_He said that he was going to reduce the amount of serum he gave you and the duration of the gamma ray exposure to limit how much change you went through."_

"What do you remember of the change as you were going through it?" inquired Jamie.

"_Pain, agonizing, excruciating, unending pain as though I were being torn apart from inside._" Lee replied and Chip nodded in agreement.

As Harri translated Lee's message both he and Jamie blanched. It must have been horrific to have both Lee and Chip admit to feeling any sort of discomfort.

"_Admiral we need to get a team to Bascomb's compound and prevent any intrusions or destruction that may be caused by his other creatures rampaging through the facility. If we're to have any hope of regaining our lives we need to get his notes and you and Jamie need to develop a serum that will turn us back_." Lee said.

As Harri relayed what Lee had said a look of concern and trepidation passed across his face. Jamie likewise paled at the thought of ginning up some serum and injecting it into his commanding officers and friends in hopes of turning them fully human again. It would be all too easy to disfigure them further or even cause their deaths.

Reading the feelings written across Harri and Jamie's faces Chip began tapping. "_Sir I believe I speak for both of us when I say it's the only option available. I have no intention of spending the rest of my life like this, kept in a cage somewhere like some exotic pet. I don't know about Lee but I can feel my grasp on my mind and humanity slowly slipping through my fingers and I think the longer we remain as we are the slimmer the chances of being returned to our former selves. Regardless of the pain and agony we will endure going through another series of injections it's a risk we're ready and willing to take._'

Lee moved to his friend and brother's side and slipped his arm around his shoulder and stared at both Nelson and Jamieson nodding his full agreement with Chip's statement. Harri and Jamie nodded back realizing it was the only option open to them.

"I'll have a security team dispatched to the compound once it's light. When they have it secured we'll head to Bascomb's lab and collect his notes, samples of his serums and anything else that looks to be of value and begin working on our own serum to turn you back. Is that satisfactory gentlemen?"

Just then the door to sick bay opened up and Cookie and three of his assistants entered carrying the dinner Frank had ordered for them. Removing the covers from the plates they discovered beautifully prepared filet mignon steaks covered in sautéed mushrooms and onions, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli in cheese sauce and corn bread. It all smelled delicious and Lee and Chip began drooling as their stomachs growled in anticipation of the feast.

Cookie smiled, thrilled at his commanding officers reaction to the meal he had prepared. They set the trays on the center gurney and the Admiral and his officers drew up their chairs and readied themselves to dig into this sumptuous meal. Cookie uncovered one more plate revealing large slices of chocolate cake. Everyone's eyes lit up at the sight of that treat.

"Thank you Cookie, this looks fantastic." Nelson said, speaking for the whole group. "I think it's safe to say we all appreciate the effort you went to."

Cookie smiled even wider. "You're welcome sirs. If you need anything else just let me know. Welcome back Skipper, Mr. Morton."

Lee and Chip acknowledged Cookie's words with a nod and moved quickly to dig into their meal. Dinner conversation was decidedly light as everyone worked on their meal. Lee and Chip polished off their dinner then excused themselves to get a drink to wash it down. The only effective way they could drink was to lap up their beverage and that wouldn't do much for anyone else's meal. As they sat down, the admiral started passing out the slices of cake.

Chip started tapping rapidly and his message was met with a nasty snarl and snap from Lee, Harri broke out in laughter. Jamie stared at them all wondering what had just transpired. Chuckling heartily Harri translated Chip's message for Jamie. "Chip just informed Lee that he had heard that chocolate isn't supposed to be good for dogs and he should pass his slice of cake over to him." Jamie too broke into laughter as did the rest of the group and all were appreciative of the light moment in what was otherwise a tense situation.

With the last of meal finished and the trays removed Jamie began fussing over his patients. "Admiral it is time for you to return to your cabin to get a good night's sleep."

Lee tapped out his message, "_I want to sleep in my cabin too._"

"If you're asking to do the same thing Captain, you and Mr. Morton can just forget it. I want you both where I can monitor you for a while to make sure there aren't any complications from the ordeal you've been put through." Jamie replied. The slumped shoulders and deflated posture of both Lee and Chip told Jamie he'd nailed the message right on the head.

Nelson chuckled as he rose from his chair. "Very well Jamie, I am a bit tired. Lee, Chip, you behave and no escapes. Do you understand me? The situation is far from normal and I don't think the crew is all that comfortable with a furry command crew just yet." Harri said lightly hoping to take the sting out of being confined to sick bay. They both nodded their understanding and agreement.

"Good. In the morning we'll head out to Bascomb's compound and start working on our plans to return you back to your original form. Sleep well gentlemen, I'm sure you can use it." Harri added as he exited sick bay and headed for his cabin.

"Alright you heard the admiral, you will behave correct?" Jamie said as the door closed. Lee and Chip rolled their eyes and then tried to put on their most innocent faces indicating they would comply with the order. "Good. It's time you both were in bed."

Jamie moved to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle of pills and two small paper cups and dispensed two pills into each cup. He walked back over to Chip and Lee and handed them the cups. "Take these, they're just a light sedative to let you relax and fall asleep more quickly."

They stared at the cups dubiously making no move to consume the pills. Jamie fixed them with his 'you will comply or I'll give you a shot' CMO glare and they finally tossed the pills in their mouths and swallowed them. "Very good. Now let me take your vitals one more time and you will both crawl into one of those bunks and go to sleep."

Chip started tapping on the table next to him. "_Why does he always treat us like were a couple of five year olds_?"

Lee's eyes lit up and he chuckled, "_Probably because we always act that way when we're incarcerated here_." Chip chuckled as well.

Jamie eyed them suspiciously not privy to the exchange they had just made. They smiled at Jamie as best they could then hit the head and crawled into bed. Jamie made short work of collecting his readings and his patients were asleep by the time he shut off the lights and headed back to his desk.

/ooo(l)ooo\

The dreams that came calling were not the good type and Chip and Lee writhed and thrashed in their beds as they slept. Jamie felt his blood run cold when a horrific mournful howl erupted from the room next door and rushed in to check on his patients. Both were still asleep but it was quite obvious they were both caught up in something unpleasant. Jamie was extremely worried about waking either of them especially Lee since had a hair trigger even when things were normal; he had no idea how they would react to being suddenly awakened in their animal state.

He moved cautiously to Lee's bed and positioned himself well out of the captain's way. He reached forward and gently shook Lee's shoulder. As expected Lee immediately snapped awake and tried to strike at what had 'attacked' him. His eyes were wide with a murderous rage and he snarled loudly baring his teeth. Jamie froze, afraid to move fearing he may provoke an attack until Lee was able to come to his senses. After a moment Lee blinked his eyes and slowly became aware of the room around him and Jamie plastered against the wall. The sound of Lee waking up also snapped Chip awake and his reactions weren't much tamer than Lee's but at least he hadn't struck out at anyone.

Seeing Jamie hugging the wall and his wary expression, Lee's eyes became huge with terror and concern, afraid he had somehow injured his friend. He climbed quickly out of bed and scuttled across the room putting as much distance between him and Jamie as he could to try and allay Jamie's apparent fear that Lee would attack him.

Jamie immediately recognized Lee's concern. "Lee, Lee relax everything is okay. You were just dreaming. I'm fine, don't worry, your reaction just startled me. I've had enough experience with waking you up from a fitful sleep to ensure I was out of range when you came to."

Lee closed his eyes and hung his head shaking it slowly back and forth. Chip tapped his question. "_You okay bro?_"

"_Yeah I suppose so. I'm just so tired of this and want it all to go back the way it was._" Lee tapped back.

Jamie's frustration and not being able to participate in the conversation was evident by the look on his face. Lee moved forward towards Jamie slowly and cautiously placed his hand on his shoulder. He pointed to himself and made the diver's okay sign to indicate he was 'fine'. Jamie smiled and rolled his eyes fully understanding what Lee meant.

"I either need to learn Morse or we need to find another way to communicate until you both can speak for yourselves again." Jamie replied with an exasperated chuckle. "I have a much greater appreciation for a vet now, having to treat patients that can't really tell me what's going on." Lee and Chip both growled at him and stuck out their tongues.

Jamie chuckled at their response. "Okay let's try the sleep thing again but let's try pleasant dreams this time, shall we." He herded Lee gently towards his bunk and got him resettled. "Rest easy, your home now and you're safe." he said as he pulled the blanket up over Lee's shoulder.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Harri's sleep was no calmer than that of his men sequestered down in sick bay. He was constantly bombarded by visions of his transfigured friends and the imagined screams of pain they endured in that change. Try as he might to reverse the process everything ended in failure and death. He sat bolt upright in bed after the last dream, bathed in sweat and breathing hard as though he'd just run a marathon. Anger and rage coursed through his veins as he thought of Bascomb and what he had done to his captain and first officer and if he weren't already dead he would have torn his heart out with his bare hands.

Unable to sleep he crawled out of bed and lit up a cigarette to calm his nerves. He sat down in his chair and gently rubbed the back of his head and neck as he went over all that had come to light. He prayed to hell that they would be able to reverse the procedure and return his boys back to their original condition. Finding he was too agitated to stay in his cabin Harri jumped in the shower, dressed and headed out to take a Lee-style walk a boat to calm his nerves and work through the problems at hand.

As he walked through the corridors he read the concern and worry written on the faces of his men. They had all heard about and/or seen the condition of their skipper and XO and the depth of feeling they had for their injured officers warmed his heart. They had both earned that level of loyalty and high regard and seeing it so plainly displayed on the faces around him strengthened Harri's resolve to find a solution and return his boys to their rightful positions in command of the Seaview.

/ooo(l)ooo\

As Jamie entered his office for the morning he found Lee and Chip hovering over his computer. Chip was rapidly typing and after a bit Lee would change places and type in return. They both looked up as he approached and nodded their morning greeting. He walked behind the men to take in the computer monitor to see what they were working on so diligently.

"Good morning, Jamie." Lee typed.

"Good morning Lee, Chip. How are you feeling today?" Jamie replied.

"Fine." The laughter in both their eyes was apparent and Jamie rolled his eyes and playfully slapped the captain on his shoulder. "Seriously, Jamie aside from being this hideous creature I'm feeling well."

"Understood. Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Jamie inquired.

They both shook their heads no. "How about we have something delivered to your cabin Lee and we can all eat there. I'll call the admiral and have him join us." The pure joy in their eyes gave Jamie his answer without needing the enthusiastic nods yes. "Okay, let me escort you to your cabins so you can get cleaned up and then I'll round up breakfast and the admiral." Jamie laughed out loud as he was nearly carried to officer's country by his excited charges.

Once safely ensconced in their respective cabins Chip and Lee let loose deep sighs of relief and felt themselves almost relax for the first time since this whole ordeal had begun. They each immediately headed for the shower to clean up. Much to their surprise scrubbing up took quite a bit longer as they wound up shampooing their entire bodies and had to spend extra time rinsing the soap out of their fur. They also nearly didn't have enough towels as the fur retained far more water than a sleek skinned body. Used to keeping their hair short they had no need for a blow dryer but definitely would have liked to have one now. Given the change in their physique and the addition of all the fur, their uniforms no longer fit so they donned workout shorts and NIMR tee shirts to give them some semblance of humanity.

About 20 minutes later there was a knock on Lee's door and Chip entered carrying his laptop. Lee looked at him, his question clearly evident on his face. Chip moved to Lee's desk and set the computer down then started typing then hit 'enter'. "Hello Lee, I think I've found a way to include Jamie in our conversations now," the computer generated voice said.

Lee flashed Chip a smile and gave him the okay sign and pointed to his computer. Chip nodded and fired up Lee's machine and quickly uploaded and initiated the computer program he was using to generate the voice.

Lee sat down and started typing. "This is cool; I know Jamie will appreciate it." He continued typing, "Can we change the voices so we both don't sound like Steven Hawking?" Chip tapped Lee on the shoulder and indicated he should move. He sat down and pulled up a menu of voice choices and then let Lee back in to choose his voice. They both started sampling the various options going from US regional accents to British, Australian, German, French, male and female. They were nearly rolling on the floor with laughter as the admiral and Jamieson entered Lee's cabin with breakfast.

The older men stared at them wondering what was going on. Was the transformation having additional effects on them? All became clear when each man typed and enter his greeting. "Morning Admiral, Jamie," Lee's response hailed in a rich New England twang. "Good morning sir, Jamie," came Chip's salutation in a deep southern drawl. Harri and Jamie both started laughing and nodded their approval of the communication solution.

"Very ingenious, Chip," Harri said figuring it was his computer savvy XO's idea. "Hopefully your typing skills are up to the task." He added with a chuckle.

Harri and Jamie placed the breakfast trays on Lee's desk and pulled off the covers revealing a hearty breakfast of sausage and eggs, hash browns and toast. That sat down and dug in keeping chatter to a minimum so Chip and Lee could concentrate on their meal and not have to respond through either Morse or the computer. When they were all finished Jamie collected the dishes and set the trays on the floor near the door so they could get down to business.

"I thought you would appreciate a status briefing this morning," Harri started. "Bobby has informed me that the security team has reached Bascomb's compound and secured the perimeter. It was a good call on your part Lee as they had to chase out a number of Bascomb's victims that had started rampaging through his house destroying anything they could get their paws on. As best as they can tell nothing gained access to the laboratory and offices so hopefully all of Bascomb's research and notes should be safe."

Both Lee and Chip heaved a huge sigh of relief. "What's the plan now?" Lee typed.

"I'm going to head over to the lab and begin taking a look at what Bascomb has been doing and see if I can figure how he created the serums he used on you. Then Jamie and I need to go over that information and determine if we can develop something that we can use to turn you back." Nelson replied.

"Great, when are we leaving?" asked Lee.

Jamie started shaking his head no. "You're not going anywhere Lee or you either Chip. I want you where I can monitor your condition."

"No way," chimed in Chip. "We're going with you Admiral; we know what's there and the layout of the facility."

"I agree with Jamie on this one, lads. I want you where you're safe and can be taken care of if any complications from this mess start to develop. Let us complete the initial assessment and if Jamie feels that everything is stable enough for you to accompany me later then fine." Nelson replied.

Low menacing growls came from both men causing Harri and Jamie to stare in apprehension. Realizing what had just happened Lee started typing furiously. "My apologies, Admiral, Jamie. Apparently we are not as skilled at keeping our disagreement with your decision under wraps in our current form."

"My apologies as well," Chip echoed from his machine. "I'm surprised that slipped out."

"Apologies accepted gentlemen. I think that is my cue to get moving and to find a resolution to your condition before things deteriorate further. You two stay here for now and relax, I'll keep you updated on what I find and what progress we make. I want you both to remain in your cabins for now, understood."

"Yes sir. As cages go these are better than the last ones." Lee responded not even trying to disguise his disdain for being held captive, again.

Nelson rose from his chair, walked over to Lee and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Lee, please work with us on this. I know this is difficult son and you want to be involved but for now it's better that you and Chip remain here. Once we have an idea what needs to be done we'll pull you in and get your input."

Lee signed heavily and just nodded his head then looked to the floor. Chip nodded as well.

"Thank you," Nelson replied. "You and Chip just kick back, rest and recoup your strength. We'll all get together when I come back to the boat tonight."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Nelson climbed into the zodiac and took the short journey to shore where he was met by one of his men on an ATV. He climbed on the back and rode the 20 minutes it took to reach the compound. As he dismounted he was immediately met by Chief Sharkey. "Good morning, sir."

"Morning Chief, how are things going?" Nelson inquired.

"Well the inside of the house was pretty much destroyed by those things that guy created but it didn't look like any of his research or other work was kept there. The laboratory, office space and animal pens are all housed in a buried facility over there. Nothing had gotten in there so all the doctor's work and equipment is intact. We finally got the generator up and running so there is power to the compound and the fence can be electrified if we need the added security."

"Very good, Francis. Lead the way to the lab." Nelson replied.

They walked down the short flight of stairs and entered the research facility. They continued down the hall and finally descended into the laboratory where Harri got his first look at the instruments of torture used to mutate his officers. He quickly perused the equipment, the holding cells and the vials and bottles stored in the cabinets. He also took in the video equipment mounted over the center area of the lab. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he realized he would most likely be able to see exactly what Lee and Chip had endured during the procedure.

"Okay I've had enough of here for now, let's go back to the office and see if we can get into his computer and file systems."

Returning to the office, Harri turned on Bascomb's computer and much to his surprise had total access to his files and research notes. Apparently being the only person on the island he felt no need to password protect anything. Harri initiated a complete download of the computer contents to his thumb drive. As that was being done he began going through the desk drawers looking for personal journals and hand scribed notes that may not have been entered into the computer files.

As he continued to look through items in the office he came upon a cache of DVDs, most likely containing the visual record of his various trials. He thumbed through the discs until he found one labeled Crane and another labeled Morton; he removed both from the small cabinet and walked back over to the computer and sat down.

Reluctantly he opened the jewel case and pulled out the one marked Crane then pressed a button on the computer and the DVD player shoved out its tray, he deposited the disc and pushed it back in. The computer hummed briefly opening the video player and then started playing the DVD. The opening shots were of Bascomb stripping an unconscious Lee of his clothing and securing him tightly to the metal table in the center of the room. As that shot remained static Nelson fast forwarded until he reached the point where Bascomb returned on-screen and prepared to initiate his experiment.

Harri could barely stand to watch as Bascomb injected the man he considered his son with his hideous chemicals and view the effects on Lee's body. He heard Lee's agonizing screams and watched as he writhed on the table, his flesh twisted and morphed into what Lee looked like now. By the time he reached the end of the DVD he was barely holding on to his control; the anger and rage that had grown at what Lee had been put through all warred to break free. He had a nearly uncontrollable urge to smash everything around him, to destroy the evil this bastard had let loose on the poor creatures he tortured to satisfy his own twisted curiosity. His eyes brimmed with tears knowing that to have any chance of returning Lee and Chip to their former selves he would have to put them through that hell once again.

As Harri sat there overwhelmed by what he had witnessed Sharkey entered the office to check on him. Nelson was pale and stared blankly across the room. "Admiral, are you all right sir?" Sharkey asked.

Nelson slowly returned to the present at the sound of Sharkey's voice. He raised his head and looked at the chief. "No Chief, I'm not. I want to go screaming in horror from this place and blow it all to hell but I can't do that yet. I just viewed what the captain and Mr. Morton went through and come to the sad realization that I'm going to have to subject them to that again. I don't know if I can do that Francis; it was nearly unbearable to watch, I can't imagine myself ever hurting either of them that bad and having to stand there and watch it as it happens. There will be no fast forward or stop, I just don't know if I can do that."

"I'm sorry sir," Francis replied. "But you are the only chance that they have of ever being normal again. I'm sure they're counting on you to pull that rabbit out of the hat and make this all just a bad nightmare."

Nelson nodded numbly. He sincerely hoped he and Jamie would be able to synthesize a serum that would reverse the transformation and give him back his men.

"Sir, it's getting kind of late and unless you plan to spend the night here it's probably a good idea to get you back to the boat before nightfall."

"Understood, Chief. Let me just gather this stuff up and I'll be ready to go in a couple of minutes." Nelson replied.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Harri slowly crawled out of the zodiac once it was secured to the Seaview's deck. He instructed the crewmen to take the boxes he had brought back with him to his lab. As he moved towards the conning tower to enter the boat he spotted Jamie standing there awaiting his return.

"Evening Jamie, how are Chip and Lee?" Harri inquired quietly.

"Doing as well as can be expected, Harri. Though I am detecting subtle signs that their cognitive abilities are starting to degrade the longer they stay as they are. We saw the first flash of that this morning during our discussion regarding your visit to Bascomb's lab. I'm afraid if we don't get this reversed in short order the loss may be permanent." Jamie replied. "Pardon my saying so Harri but you look like hell. Did something go wrong at the facility?"

"I found all of Bascomb's materials and have complete access to his notes and processes so from that standpoint all went well. What I also found was video footage of Lee and Chip going through the transmutation. Oh god Jamie they went through hell. Lee's screams of terror and agony are still ringing in my ears. I didn't have the courage to even look at the footage of Chip; I was so shaken by what I had seen of Lee's ordeal. After we've had dinner and updated Lee and Chip I'll show you what I've got and we can start looking for a way to reverse this."

Jamie visibly paled at the admiral's words. They had both seen their share of horrific things during their tenure in the Navy and while on Seaview but to have Harri so obviously shaken by what he had observed unsettled him. A sense of dread knotted his stomach as he followed the admiral down the ladder into the control room.

As Harri descended into the control room he was greeted by Lt. Michaels. "Welcome back sir, did everything go okay?"

"Thank you, Andy. Yes I found everything I needed. Is everything here going okay?"

"Yes sir." Michael's replied.

"Where's Mr. O'Brien?" Nelson inquired.

"I believe he's with Captain Crane and Mr. Morton in the captain's quarters. He was giving them a status update."

"Thanks." Harri replied with a small melancholy smile. Regardless of their own troubles, Seaview and her crew always remained the primary focus of the pair. He hoped to hell that they would be able to reverse what had happened to them; he could not envision Seaview without Crane or Morton on the job. Harri moved woodenly through the control room and up the stairs to meet up with his boys and brief them on what he had found.

Nearing Lee's quarters he heard O'Brien laughing out loud and gurgling growls emanating from the cabin. No matter how bad things ever seemed Lee and Chip always managed to find a lighter side to keep the crew at ease. He knocked lightly on the door and got a computer generated "Come in."

As Harri opened the door and entered the room the men began to rise to their feet. "Please be seated, gentlemen. It sounds as though you were rather enjoying yourselves," he said with a smile.

Lee looked at the admiral and could plainly see the smile was pasted on his face and did not extend to his eyes. He suddenly had a sinking feeling things did not go well on the island. "Just shooting the breeze Admiral. Bobby's been bringing us up to date on Seaview's status and telling us about his experiences as acting captain and dealing with the resident admiral."

Bobby turned about 5 shades of red and Nelson crooked one eyebrow as he took in the group. "Oh really…and what has Mr. O'Brien been saying about that?"

"Just what a pleasant and enlightening experience it has all been," offered Chip.

"Uh huh, I just bet." Nelson replied. They all broke into laughter, enjoying a small moment of normality in an otherwise abnormal situation.

"Well sirs if you will excuse me I need to go relieve Andy so he can get some dinner." O'Brien said and scurried out of the cabin before the admiral could press him on his report to the command crew.

After Bobby left Lee began typing. "Things not go well today, sir?"

"Actually I had more success than I anticipated. I was able to fully access all of Bascomb's files and notes; apparently he wasn't concerned about anyone hacking into his computer. - I…um… also found the video footage of his experiments on you. Oh god sons I am so sorry you had to endure that. If you hadn't already dispatched that son of a bitch I would have ripped his heart out myself."

"Well do you think you will be able to turn us back, sir?" Lee asked.

"I don't know yet lad, I haven't had a chance to really look over his work to get a feel for what he was doing. I've got a lot of reading to do in the next day or so before I'll know if we can risk putting you through that again." Nelson replied.

"Sir, there's no point in even considering that question. I won't spend the rest of my life like this, if there's any chance of reversing this I'm taking it. If there's not, then do what any compassionate individual does for a sick animal and put me out of my misery," answered Lee.

Harri's eyes grew wide and a look of shock spread across his face. How could he ever contemplate euthanizing his friends? He visibly blanched at the thought of losing either one of them.

"I'm with Lee, sir." Chip added. "I don't want to go through life as some sort of freak. It would be far kinder to my family and to me to end this suffering. I don't fear death, I fear degrading into some type of mindless, vicious, monster that is relegated to a cage, regardless of how nice that cage is, for the rest of my existence." Lee nodded emphatically showing his concurrence with Chip's sentiments.

"Well it's a bit premature to be making those plans right now," Harri replied. "I'm hoping between Jamie and myself once we get through Bascomb's notes we can come up with something to make that a moot issue."

"We have every faith in both of you, Admiral," answered Lee. "No pressure." Lee gave Harri the best smile he could and winked.

Harri laughed softly shaking his head. "No pressure, indeed. Well gentlemen I do believe it is dinner time. What say we try it in the wardroom tonight? I assume you will behave yourselves?"

Chip and Lee's faces lit up at the prospect of being let out of their cage for even a few hours. They quickly rose to their feet and moved to the door, opened it and waited expectantly for the admiral to lead the way. Harri laughed, again amazed at the strength of character and resolve his men showed in the face of such adversity.

/ooo(l)ooo\

An immediate tension-filled silence greeted the arrival of the admiral, captain and executive officer to the wardroom. Nelson led the way to their table and they all sat down very much aware that every eye was upon them. Lt. Michaels finally broke the silence. "Welcome back Skipper, Mr. Morton; it's good to have you here."

Lee picked up a knife and began tapping out his response. "_Thanks Andy it's good to be back and finally out and about. We were thrilled to see all the paint still on the boat when we came back aboard_."

With that the assembled men broke into laughter and the tension dissolved as they realized their commanders were still there only their appearance had changed. Cookie came over to their table to see what he could get them. "We've got chicken cordon bleu, scalloped potatoes and steam cauliflower on the menu, sirs but if that's not something you're interested in let me know and I can whip up whatever you would like."

Lee looked at Chip and got a nod; he quickly tapped out his response. "_That sounds great Cookie we'll have that._" Cookie smiled and headed back to the kitchen to get them their dinners.

As Cookie came out with their meals, Will Jamieson entered the wardroom and joined the group. "I wondered where you had got off to, I was hoping it was here," he said with a smile. Chip and Lee acknowledged Jamie's greeting and then tucked into their dinner. The admiral and Jamie conversed back and forth as they ate regarding what Nelson had found while Lee and Chip listened in.

Finished with their meal Lee looked at the admiral and began tapping. "_Sir, would it be possible to walk through the boat before we are locked in for the night?_"

Harri flinched inwardly, not because of Lee's desire to stroll through his vessel but because they felt they were being kept captive in their cabins. He looked at Chip and saw the same eager desire to stroll through Seaview and feel somewhat like things were back to normal. This wasn't their fault yet they were seemingly being punished for it. Jamie looked at him inquisitively waiting for the translation.

Harri smiled. "Yes Lee, I think a stroll through the boat would be an excellent way to work off a bit of this fine meal." Lee and Chip's reaction was immediate as their eyes became nearly incandescent with delight at getting access to their boat and crew. Jamie smiled as well and nodded his concurrence. They all rose and Harri and his commanders headed aft to cover Seaview from stem to stern while Jamie headed to Harri's lab to begin reading some of the material he had brought back.

Harri couldn't have been prouder of his crew as they all excitedly welcomed the visit by their commanding officers. They asked how they felt and expressed their sincere desire for them to return to duty as soon as possible. He could see the effect of the crew's welcome and acceptance of their CO and XO in Lee and Chip's eyes; they were warmed deeply by the genuine concern and affection shown by the men.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Having deposited Lee and Chip back in their quarters, Harri headed for his lab to hook up with Jamie to see if they could get a handle on what Bascomb had done and if there was any chance of reversing the process. Entering the lab he saw Jamie sitting at the desk in front of the computer, a stunned and shaken expression on his face.

"Jamie, are you all right?" Harri said as he moved quickly to his side.

Jamie sat back, closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "My god Harri what that bastard did to them… How did they even survive?"

"I take it you watched the transformation video?"

"Yes. It was even worse than I imagined and I had imagined something very bad given your reaction when you returned to Seaview. How anyone could do that to another living organism is beyond me. He should have been erased from existence years ago." Jamie said acidly.

"I couldn't agree with you more Jamie. Have you read any of his notes yet or did you just get through the video?"

"I just viewed the video. I don't think I'll be sleeping anytime soon after the horrors I saw there." Jamie replied.

"I know. Whenever I close my eyes all I can hear are Lee's screams. Did you watch his or Chip's?" Nelson inquired.

"I watched Chip's since you said you hadn't viewed it. They said Chip got a lower dosage so I can only guess how much worse Lee's experience was. Like you I just don't have the courage to watch another one."

"Well let's start digging through all this stuff and see if we can figure out his process and procedures, if he ever tried returning any of his subjects back to their original form, and how he formulated his serums."

Jamie nodded and started opening the various boxes as Harri downloaded all of Bascomb's electronic files to his computer. After four hours of non-stop reading Harri sat back from the computer terminal.

"One thing in Bascomb's favor he kept meticulous notes covering every single step he made. It should be easy enough to formulate a mutagen or more correctly unmutagen serum for Lee and Chip assuming we have pure samples of their DNA." Harri said brushing his hand through his hair.

"You're right about the notes, if he missed any part of the process I can't spot it. As far as pure samples, Lee and Chip had given blood a while back and I still have some vials in sick bay. I haven't found anything regarding any attempts at reversing his process but I have found a couple of references where he tried to enhance the mutations in some of his subjects through an additional treatment, each incident resulted in the death of the subject. He speculated that it may have been too much for the subjects to bear either cognitively or physiologically but was never able to pinpoint why the second treatments failed."

"That doesn't sound particularly encouraging." Harri replied. "Lee and Chip have made it abundantly clear to me that if there is a ghost of a chance that we can come up with a serum to reverse this they want to take it regardless of the risks to them or their continued well-being."

"I don't know if I could really sanction that if I thought the chance of death was too high." Jamie stated.

"Honestly Jamie, I don't think we have much say in this. They both made it blatantly clear that if there is no way to change them back they have every intention of terminating their own lives with or without our assistance. I can't say I really condone that but it would be a living hell for them to more or less be locked away for the rest of their lives for something they had no control over. I would give serious consideration to that solution myself."

Jamie sighed deeply saddened by what Harri had told him but he too could understand their point of view on this. "All right Harri; let's take a look at what's involved in formulating a serum."

They worked well into the wee hours of the morning, returning to their cabins to grab a few hours of sleep around 0300. Their sleep was tormented by the images and sounds of Chip and Lee going through the excruciating process Bascomb had subjected them to in his twisted quest for an improved man.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Harri had given up any hope of getting any meaningful rest around 0630 and got up and ready for the day. As he walked down the hallway towards Lee's quarters he spied Chip coming out of his cabin and heading the same way. "Morning, Chip." Harri called.

Chip looked up and nodded his greeting to the admiral. He waited for Nelson to join him before he knocked on Lee's door. After a moment he heard the computer beckon them in. Walking in, they spied Lee towelling off after having taken a shower.

Chip sniffed the air then wrinkled his nose. He walked over to Lee's computer and started typing. "Whew smells like wet dog in here."

Harri immediately broke out laughing as did Chip. Lee snarled at Chip and hit him in the head with his wet towel. He moved quickly to the computer and typed out his response. "I'm sure it smells a whole lot better than that litter box in your cabin."

Harri again started to laugh as he watched Chip hiss back at Lee and return the towel, which Lee grabbed midair. They locked eyes and Harri could see the brotherly affection between the two men as they tried their best to deal with the circumstances life had handed them for the moment. Harri walked over to the men and placed a hand on each of their shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. He smiled realizing that with their unflagging positive outlook on life, their odds of surviving another round of Bascomb's process were exponentially better than those of the other creatures used as subjects.

"Jamie and I spent the better part of last night going over Bascomb's notes and we think we can fabricate a serum that could possibly turn you back." Harri said. Their reaction to that news was exactly what Harri expected. The level of excitement was incredible as they virtually vibrated with joy at that news.

"The down side of that is that the only way we can test it is on you. Bascomb never tried to reverse the process only to augment changes in certain subjects. Those trials didn't turn out well but in our favor, you're aware of what is going on and why, and unlike the animals Bascomb used we're trying to return your systems to normal not push them into some other direction." Harri added.

"I'm ready any time you are Admiral," said Lee. Chip nodded his head emphatically indicating he was ready and willing as well.

Chip moved to the computer and typed, "I'll be back in a couple minutes, I want to get my computer and I have to use the litter box." He winked at Harri and Lee's laughter as he exited the room.

"Lee, son, are you sure about this?" Harri said as he reached up and placed his hand on the side of Lee's head. "We have no idea whether this will work or not and the effects of the serum will be at least as painful as the first round." Lee nodded; any chance was worth it as far as he was concerned.

Harri sighed almost in resignation; there's no way he wanted to put his friend through that agony again but understood Lee's willingness to accept any risk to be normal. As he looked deeply into his son's eyes he unconsciously started scratching Lee behind the ear. Lee's eyes lit up with a spark of humor as he rapidly started stamping one of his feet on the deck. Harri looked at him curiously until it dawned on him what he had been doing. Harri blushed and pulled his hand down quickly. They both broke out laughing and Lee drew him into a quick hug to show his deep appreciation and affection for his friend and surrogate father.

/ooo(l)ooo\

After a quick breakfast Jamie and Harri returned to the lab to begin fabricating serums for Lee and Chip. For their part Lee and Chip couldn't seem to settle down and eventually asked for and received permission to surface Seaview so they could run laps on her deck to burn off their nervous energy. An air of optimism surged through the crew as the news was passed that there might be a way to get their skipper and XO back.

Around 1800 Harri and Jamie emerged from the lab and went in search of Chip and Lee. They ascended the ladder topside finding them swimming next to Seaview with Kowalski and Patterson. "All right kids everyone out of the pool," Nelson called smiling at the swimmers. They all hauled themselves quickly back onto the deck. Chip and Lee unconsciously shook themselves flinging off excess water.

"Chip, Lee why don't you head to your quarters and get dried off then meet us in the nose; we need to talk a few things over. I'll have Cookie send dinner up so we can enjoy the sunset and just relax." Nelson added.

They both nodded as they wiped themselves down. They waved to Ski and Pat and then headed for the hatch leading down to the control room. "Are you going to be able to turn them back sir?" Kowalski inquired.

"I hope so Ski. We'll give it our best shot." Nelson replied.

"Sir if you need any help with this I'd like to volunteer." Kowalski added.

"I would as well sir." Patterson added.

"Thank you gentlemen, that means a lot and I will take you up on your offer. I know the captain and Mr. Morton will appreciate it too. You best go in and get changed for dinner as well."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." They both then turned and made their way to the hatch.

"Do you think that is wise Harri?" Jamie inquired. "This could all go horribly wrong."

"They're up to it Jamie and we could use all the moral support we can get. There's nothing about this I like but I see no way around it. I just hope to hell we're not condemning Lee and Chip to an agonizing gruesome death."

"Amen to that Harri." Jamie said patting Nelson on the shoulder.

"Come on let's get cleaned up for dinner. I plan on enjoying what very well may be the last meal we all have together."

"Think positive, Admiral. We have to believe in what we've done and believe in Chip and Lee's ability to withstand the test they are about to endure." With that they both turned and headed for the hatch to reenter the sub.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Dinner turned out to be a sumptuous affair with Cookie pulling out all of the stops. There was a fantastic prime rib roast cooked to perfection, wild rice, broccoli in cheddar cheese sauce and a six layer German chocolate cake for dessert. They consumed the meal with relish each well aware this could be the final meal they all had together. After the dishes had been removed, Harri closed the crash doors leaving orders not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency.

"Lee, Chip, as I told you earlier we think we have come up with a serum to reverse the effects of Bascomb's experiment. I know that's what you want most but we want to go over all the risks and potential outcomes if we proceed with what we've got." Harri started.

"We developed our mutation serum from samples of your blood I had collected before all this happened, so we have essentially pure Lee and pure Chip DNA to work with. Based on Bascomb's notes we've estimated how much of each of the serums and gamma radiation exposure should be needed to cause the desired change, however it is all just an educated guess and there's no way to test it in advance of actually injecting you with the compounds." Jamie added.

"I think you know that this could all go horribly wrong and result in severe disfigurement or even death. We have no idea how all of this will play out until it's done." Harri continued. "I want to make sure you both know what you're looking at if you decide to go forward with another treatment."

Lee grabbed his laptop and began typing. "Harri, Jamie, we're both well aware of what could go wrong and are willing to accept those risks. This is not the life I choose to live, I told you earlier I have no intention of living out my life as someone's pet. I would rather die than be forced to live like this." Chip ardently nodded his agreement with his captain's words. "I'm sure this brings no comfort to you but it does to us, we have complete confidence in your abilities, you're our best and only hope at ever getting back to normal. If this fails horribly neither of us will blame you, we know the risks going in and willingly accept them."

"Sir, Jamie, I agree wholeheartedly with Lee. I don't want to go on this way and want the chance to be me again. If things go badly I want your assurances that you will let me go, take no extraordinary measures to preserve my life; it's not worth it. Will you agree to that?" Chip said. Lee nodded his concurrence with Chip's words as well.

"I appreciate your confidence in us but that only makes this more difficult. We've both watched the videos of what you've been through and are loathe to subject you to that again, that it could go wrong makes it doubly so. I hear your stipulation and will abide by your wishes that if this goes bad we will not try to keep you alive." Harri replied.

"Thank you." Lee and Chip both typed.

"So what is the plan for making this all happen?" Lee typed.

"Tomorrow morning we'll head back to the island and Bascomb's lab to carry out the procedure. We'll conduct the first procedure then wait for the effects to become self-evident before we attempt the second so we can tweak the process if we need to. Looking at Bascomb's notes it's a six to eight hour process depending on the subject. We'll bring everyone back to Seaview once things have stabilized so Jamie can properly monitor the first case and then return for the second run. The one outstanding question that needs to be answered is who will go first." Harri offered.

Lee and Chip both raised their hands each wanting to go first so that if any problems were discovered they might be corrected in the next attempt. Harri smiled sadly at their response.

"Somehow I knew you'd both say that. How about we flip for it?"

They both nodded that that was an acceptable means to resolve the question. Harri stood up and pulled a quarter from his pocket and showed it to both men. "Chip, call it in the air." Harri said as he flipped the coin up into the air. Chip tapped his head indicating he wanted heads. The coin hit the deck and rolled about for a moment until it finally settled heads up.

Lee looked at the coin and sighed and held up two fingers on one hand and three on the other looking for best 2 out of 3. Chip shook his head no and placed his hand on Lee's shoulder consoling his brother.

Chip moved to his computer. "No way bro, you went first last time, it's my turn to be first for a change."

"All right everyone what say we adjourn to our cabins and try and get a good night's sleep. We all need to be at our best tomorrow. If you're having problems sleeping let me know and I can give you a mild sedative to help you out." Jamie offered breaking the solemn silence that had consumed the room.

They all nodded and started moving towards the stairs. Nelson hit the button and opened the crash doors. He had a few words with O'Brien briefing him on the plan of operations for tomorrow and to alert Kowalski and Patterson then headed up the stairs to his quarters.

/ooo(l)ooo\

It was a pretty safe assumption that no one slept well. The level of anticipation and dread was riding high as each man played over the upcoming events in his mind. Lee and Chip relived the pain and fear they felt having been unwilling participants the first time and dealt with the reality they would have to endure it yet again. Harri and Jamie dealt with the thought of subjecting their friends to an untried and potentially fatal serum they had derived to try and save their lives.

It had been decided to leave for the island at 0600 and they all met in the nose as they waited for the appointed hour. "All right let's get going." Nelson said seeing that all the principles were assembled. As they turned to go he noticed Lee coming with them. "Lee I think it might be better for you to remain here."

Lee shook his head no, then quickly started tapping out a message with a pen grabbed off the chart table. "_No sir, I'm coming with you. I have to be there to support Chip and to see how this all plays out. You can't leave me behind, please._"

Nelson looked at Jamieson and got an affirmative nod. "Okay Lee, come along. I suppose you do deserve to see what's coming your way."

They exited the boat and climbed into the zodiac and shoved off for the island. The trip over was made in silence as each man pondered what was about to happen. Once they arrived on shore they were met by the security team and escorted to the compound.

As they drove through the gate Lee and Chip involuntarily shuddered as the pain and fear associated with this place slammed them head on. Harri noticed their reactions and reached forward placing a hand on their shoulders. "You all right?" he asked. They both nodded and stared grimly ahead.

The ATVs pulled to a stop at the steps leading down to the lab. They all descended the stairs and moved through the corridors to the lab. Another shiver slid down Chip and Lee's spines as they entered the lab, their screams echoed in their minds as they stared at the table in the center of the room. They had a nearly uncontrollable urge to reduce the laboratory equipment to rubble but realized they needed it one more time before they could give into their lust for destruction.

Jamie walked over to Chip. "We might as well get this going, Chip take off your shirt and climb on the table." Chip nodded and complied handing his shirt to Lee, and sat down in the middle of the table. Jamie quickly took Chip's vitals and then directed him to lie down. Once he was down, Jamie began securing the straps on his arms and legs; a look of panic took residence in Chip's eyes as he fought to control his fear over what would happen next.

Nelson walked over to the table and looked down at his XO, "You still sure you want to go through with this?" Chip nodded emphatically as he flexed and balled his hands trying to steel himself for the impending storm.

Harri moved over to the computers and turned them on then did the same with the radiation unit on the opposite wall. He opened the small bag he had brought with him and pulled out the three vials of serum he and Jamie had developed. Jamie grabbed a razor and shaved off a small area on Chip's left arm so he could readily find a vein and wouldn't have to poke and prod until he found one.

While Jamie did that, Harri signaled Kowalski and Patterson over to the side of the room to brief them on their duties while they carried out the procedure. "Ski, Pat your primary duty is to keep the captain calm and keep him out of the way. If he starts becoming agitated get him out of the room or in one of those cells, we don't want to run the risk of him interfering at a critical moment. If he becomes violent use the tranquilizer gun on him; just keep him safe." They both nodded they understood and positioned themselves near Crane.

Lee had become oblivious to everything but his brother lying strapped to that torture table in the middle of the room. He stared intently at Chip remembering the last time he was in that position; he began growling lowly as the memories returned. Nelson walked over to Lee and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. "Lee, son, are you going to be alright?"

Lee started at the touch and made contact with the admiral's eyes. There was a wild and unsettled look to them as though a fight or flight reaction was building up inside him. He finally blinked registering the meaning of Harri's words, let out a huge sigh and nodded.

"Are you going to be able to handle this? We don't need you rushing in when things start happening." Harri said maintaining eye contact with him trying to gage his captain's mental and emotional state.

Lee picked up an instrument lying on one of the carts and began typing. "_Yes sir. I can handle this; I have to be here for Chip._"

"Okay but if I feel that you're going to pose a danger to Chip, yourself or anyone else in the room, I'm going to have Kowalski and Patterson escort you out. Do you understand?" Nelson replied. Lee nodded his understanding.

Jamie started filling syringes with the three serums and laid them on the tray next to the table. Lee's eyes never left him flashing back to watching Bascomb doing the same thing for his transformation and Chip's. He had to fight down the urge to run over and smash everything to pieces, he realized that this was a necessary evil if they were ever going to have any chance at being normal again. Try as he might the low growl kept slipping out.

Jamie looked up from his work. "Lee, are you okay?"

Lee nodded and moved cautiously towards the table. Chip looked up at him, apprehension and fear at what was to come clearly evident in his eyes. Lee placed one hand on his head and grabbed Chip's hand with the other giving it a fierce squeeze to show his support and concern. As their eyes connected it was as though their minds had joined and they openly communicated their love and support for each other. There was also the understanding between them that Lee would do what needed to be done if this didn't turn out right; he would not make Jamie or the admiral take Chip's life that duty would rest with him.

Harri moved up next to Lee and placed his hand on his back as he looked down at Chip. He had seen the video he knew what was about to happen and a sense of dread and uncertainty settled in his stomach. He feared for the safety and life of the young man strapped to the table and prayed that he and Jamie had duplicated the process correctly. He was also loath to put first Chip and then Lee through that hell yet again. "It's time lads. Lee, why don't you move over near the cells so you're out of the way."

Lee looked back at the admiral, the same fear and anxiety evident in his expressive golden eyes. The message plain, '_Please don't let him die_.' He finally nodded to the admiral and gave Chip a hug as best he could and moved quietly to the far wall to wait for the horror to begin.

"All right Chip, I'm going to explain what is going to happen and what we have done, okay." Harri said looking deeply into Chip's ice blue eyes. Chip nodded slightly.

"The first two serums that we will inject are Bascomb's formulations, their purpose is to open up the genetic strands and make them amenable to accepting new code sequences so the mutation can occur. The last serum is the one Jamie and I have developed. This one is pure Chip and will hopefully supplant the foreign genetic patterns Bascomb inserted and return you to the ever efficient XO we all know and love." Harri said with a hint of a smile. Chip smiled as best he could in return.

"We are going to use the same quantities of serum and the same radiation exposure that Bascomb used so that we don't come up short on either. We don't want to have to do this twice. I'm sure you know the procedure and unfortunately know what to expect. We won't knock you out because we don't want any possible complications from any drug interactions so you're going to have to endure this just like the first time." Harri added. "I ask you one last time, are you sure you want to go forward with this?"

Chip nodded emphatically and then looked off to the right making eye contact with Lee and nodded at him. Lee nodded back and gave Chip a thumb's up.

"Okay Jamie, let's begin." Harri said with a sigh.

Jamie picked up the first syringe, swabbed Chip's arm with an alcohol wipe and injected the first serum. The effect was the same as the first time. Chip grunted at the growing pain and writhed against the restraints holding him on the table. Jamie quickly evaluated Chip's vitals. The stress on Chip's system was immediately apparent as heart rate, blood pressure and respiration skyrocketed.

Jamie picked up the second syringe and injected the dose into Chip's arm. No longer able to bite back the pain, Chip growled and let out strangled roars and screams as his body reacted to the metamorphic properties of the serum. His fur became damp with perspiration as he strained against the straps desperately trying to break free.

Lee began pacing as he became more and more agitated at Chip's discomfort. He started to growl menacingly as he tried mightily to control the urge to run to Chip's side and release him from the table. The rest of the Seaview men shuddered and cringed at the screams of pain and agony as they watched Chip fight through the procedure.

Ski and Pat also kept a close watch on their skipper for signs that he might jump into action. The more upset he became the more evident the attributes and influences of the wolf became in his behavior. He paced like an animal in a cage, the growls and snarls erupting from his mouth would have normally been kept in check by Captain Crane, his eyes fully conveyed his dislike for the situation and he constantly flexed his muscles as if trying to keep the animal within him in check.

Ski sidled over slowly to the captain. "Sir, are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Lee rapidly turned on him, startled by the comment. After a moment he blinked and nodded gently placing his hand on Ski's shoulder. Ski smiled and let out a huge sigh which seemed to break the tension for a moment and let Lee readjust his emotions and settle back down. Harri nodded his appreciation and approval to Ski for handling his skipper so effectively.

Jamie picked up the last syringe and swabbed Chip's arm. He placed hand on Chip's head and made eye contact with him, "Okay Chip this is the last shot, this one makes you, you again. Just hang in there it will be over soon."

Chip focused as best he could on Jamie's words and nodded his understanding. It gave him something to concentrate on other than the horrific pain of being shredded alive from the inside out. He screwed his eyes closed and roared, no longer able to bite the pain back.

Jamie quickly made the final injection then nodded to the admiral to engage the armature and initiate the gamma radiation exposure. Chip's reaction was immediate as he writhed even harder on the table trying to tear his way free. His body began the physical transformation as the radiation and serum began taking effect. His muscles began shrinking in size and compacting on his frame, his growls and whimpers of pain suddenly shifted to agonizing screams wrenched from the body of a man and finally his face began morphing back into a shape more recognizable to those in the room.

After the prescribed time, Harri snapped off the unit and stared in amazement as the serum worked at rewriting Chip's modified DNA. The effects of the transformation were frightening as they listened to Chip's screams, his voice becoming hoarse with the frequency and duration of the outbursts.

Slowly the screams diminished as the effects of the serum began to fade. Chip's respiration and heart beat began to slow as his body began to settle into an old familiar form. Exhausted from the experience he finally passed out no longer capable of enduring any more. Jamie quickly moved to his side and evaluated his vital signs; they were beginning to settle into the range of human norms. As Chip stilled he ran his hand down his arm to let him know they were still there. Pulling his hand away Jamie noticed his palm covered with the blond fur that Chip's body was now rapidly shedding.

Jamie moved over to the sink and grabbed a basin and filled it with warm water and returned to Chip's side. He picked up a towel and wet it in the water then gently started wiping Chip's body removing the fur. As he began bathing Chip's hands, the claws sloughed off revealing human fingernails beneath, Jamie smiled broadly as he cataloged each change. When Chip came back around he wanted him to know that he was looking like himself again and bare skin would be an immediate clue.

Nelson moved back to the table to take a look. "Well what do you think, Jamie? Have we done it?"

"Everything looks promising Harri. Physically he's returned to his human form and his vital signs are well within human norms other than his temperature which is no doubt due to the extreme shock he's just been put through. We need to let him rest for a few hours and then get him back to Seaview so I can conduct a more thorough examination and more closely monitor him as his system readjusts."

Lee moved carefully towards the table watching Jamie tend to his friend. The process had been reversed and Lee breathed a sigh of relief as Chip's facial features settled back into their customary form. Tears flowed from his eyes as he closed them saying a silent prayer of thanks. He looked at Harri and then Jamie, his extreme gratitude for their efforts to save his brother and hopefully himself shining out through his amber eyes. The only thing that remained was for Chip to regain consciousness to determine if the procedure were wholly successful.

Lee gently placed his hand on Chip's head then slowly traced his fingers over his face, then down his arms and chest feeling the smooth skin. He listened to him breathe in slow deep breaths as though just sleeping off a shift of arduous duty. There was hope and he felt his spirit soar at the prospect of getting back to normal himself.

Harri moved to Lee's side and placed his arm over his shoulder giving him a brief hug. The sense of relief that flowed through the room was palpable. Lee slid his arm across Harri's back and returned the embrace; there was no point in denying how relieved he felt and how much he appreciated the genius and skill of the man next to him. He then reached across the table and grasped Jamie's arm giving it a squeeze to express his thanks for all he had done.

Jamie returned the gesture and just smiled. "Once we get Chip fully back with us we'll get you taken care of next, Lee." Lee nodded and continued to stare at the very human looking Chip Morton.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Once Chip's vital signs had completely stabilized and he appeared to be resting comfortably Jamie indicated it was time to get back to Seaview. They quickly transferred Chip to a Stokes litter and carried him out of the complex and got him situated on a small trailer attached to the ATV for return to the beach. The trip back was fast and as Chip was passed back aboard Seaview a cheer went up as the crew recognized their exec and that the first part of the process had gone as planned.

Chip was moved to sick bay and transferred to the gurney in the middle of the room so Jamie had ready access to him should the situation demand it. He was still unconscious but based on Bascomb's notes it was not an unusual side effect following the transformation. The only thing that concerned Jamie was that Chip's temperature had not returned to normal and was hovering around 103 degrees.

"Well Jamie, how's he doing?" Harri inquired

"So far so good, though I'm not thrilled that his temperature hasn't come down. Although this is totally new ground since according to Bascomb's notes no creature has ever survived the procedure twice. I've got him on IV's to keep him hydrated and I'll ice him down if he gets any hotter." Jamie replied.

"Where's Lee? I thought he would be down here glued to his side."

"I made him go to his cabin to try and get a little rest. This has been a real struggle for him to control his emotions and its really wearing on him; he's exhausted. I told him that he had to be sufficiently rested and in good condition before we proceeded with his transformation." Jamie said.

"Oh that's just dirty pool Jamie." Harri answered with a smile.

"I have to bring all weapons at my disposal to bear, especially with that young man, you know that Harri." Jamie said with a smile.

"Yes I do. Well if you have things in hand here I'll make my way down to his cabin and see if he's following doctor's orders."

"I appreciate that Admiral." Jamie said with a wink.

Harri moved down the passage way to his captain's cabin, a feeling of hope growing rapidly as the news on Chip's condition seemed to indicate all had gone well. He sincerely hoped they would be able to return to the island tomorrow and return Lee to his true form. As he arrived at the captain's cabin he knocked twice and received a computer voice inviting him in.

"Hello Lee, how are you doing?" Nelson inquired.

"Good evening Admiral. I'm doing fine other than being barred from sick bay." Lee shook with laughter then continued typing. "Never thought I'd be upset about that."

Harri laughed as well. "I just was there and Chip seems to be doing well. He hasn't come back around yet but that is to be expected based on Bascomb's notes and what both of you have said. Jamie's a little concerned that Chip is still running a temperature but it hasn't gotten any higher. All we can do now is wait. Have you been following Jamie's orders and resting?"

"I've tried but I'm just too wound up to sleep. I want to be with Chip, especially when he wakes up and sees himself in the mirror for the first time. I'm so happy for him and hope he's back to his old self; I just hope things work out as well for me." Lee replied.

"I understand son. I'll talk with Jamie and see if he'll let you back in if you promise to rest."

"Thank you Admiral I appreciate that."

"Well it's nearly 1900 what say we head down to the wardroom for some dinner. That will burn a little time and Jamie can't gripe about you not eating." Nelson offered.

"Sounds like a plan sir; I am a bit hungry."

"Great. Let's go." Harri replied, patting Lee on the back and heading for the door.

/ooo(l)ooo\

It was nearly midnight when Chip finally started to stir to life. He sighed deeply a number of times and began rolling his head from side to side. Lee was immediately on his feet and at his side. He grabbed his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze to let him know he was not alone. He let out low moan which brought Jamie to his side as well. Lee moved back to allow Jamie free access to his friend.

"Chip…Chip can you hear me? Can you open your eyes? Come on Chip try." Jamie urged.

"Ughgod. I had the worst dream," Chip croaked out as he struggled to open his eyes. "I dreamt some madman turned me and Lee into animals…" He finally forced his eyes opened and focused on Jamie then spied the hulking wolf off to the side of the gurney. "Oh god it wasn't a dream."

Jamie smiled as he took Chip's vitals. "No Chip, unfortunately it wasn't a dream but as you will notice you are now talking to me which means we were successful in returning you to your original shape." Jamie raised Chip's hand and showed it to him.

Chip stared in wonderment at the pink fleshed appendage held before his face and rejoiced in the flat nails at the end of each finger. He raised both arms and looked at them, then slowly raised his hands to his face and began feeling its shape and smoothness despite his normal daily beard growth. He smiled widely at the sensation.

Lee picked up the mirror on the cart behind him and passed it to Chip. Chip took it and slowly raised it up almost afraid to find the transformation somehow not complete. As he got his first glimpse a huge sigh of relief escaped his lips. He repeatedly touched his face as he looked at himself in the mirror, confirming and reconfirming he was back to normal.

After a few moments he looked up at Lee and the smile departed his face as he took in his brother's current condition. Lee cocked his head at him and smiled as best he could. He grabbed one of the instruments off the cart and began tapping. "_Welcome back Chip. It's great seeing you so much like yourself. How do you feel?_"

"Thanks, Lee. I feel better. I'm sore just like last time but the image in the mirror is so much better it makes it worth it. How are you doing?" Chip replied.

"_Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Hopefully Jamie will let me go through the procedure later this morning as long as you're doing well_."

Jamie looked at Chip for a translation. "He said he's fine and hopes to be back to normal later today."

"Oh. Well Chip as you can see and hopefully feel everything is quickly returning to normal, even your temperature is starting to drop. How are you feeling?" Jamie inquired.

"As I told Lee I'm sore and feel like my insides were put in a blender but other than that I feel great. I'm a little tired and feel kind of weak." Chip replied.

"Well, all that is quite understandable. I'm going to give you a light sedative so you can get some sleep and recover your strength."

"Lee, thanks for being there for me bro. Just hang in there and they'll get you back too." Chip said as his eyelids started to lower as Jamie's sedative began taking effect.

Lee moved over to the gurney and took Chip's hand. He nodded and placed his other hand on the side of his face and patted it lightly. Chip finally dropped off, exhausted from his experience and relieved to be back in his own skin.

Jamie looked up at Lee and placed his hand on his shoulder. "He's doing fine Lee, don't worry. You can go back to your cabin now and get some sleep, you're going to need all the stamina you can muster for what awaits you later this morning."

Lee smiled realizing that Jamie now felt confident enough in their work with Chip to carry out the process one last time. He nodded his agreement and with one last look at Chip turned and exited sick bay to return to his cabin. Overjoyed with Chip's recovery he was too excited to return to his quarters and suddenly found himself taking a walk a boat. He took a great deal of comfort in this bit of normalcy as he strolled through the corridors.

As he entered the missile room he spied Kowalski working on some piece of equipment. He walked over to the rating making sure he was heard so he didn't startle him. Ski looked up at him and smiled. "Evening Skipper, nice to see you up and a boat, "he said with a chuckle. Lee's eyes glinted brightly and he chuckled as well recognizing Ski's pun.

"How's Mr. Morton doing? Is he going to be all right?" Ski continued.

Lee nodded his head vigorously then picked up one the tools Ski was using and started to tap. "_He came to a few minutes ago and Doc said everything looks good. He remembered all that went on and was able to talk. Even his fever has broken so it looks like we'll be making one last trip to the island later this morning._"

"That's great to hear sir. Pat and I will be right there with you Skipper."

Lee placed his hand on Ski shoulder and gave a quick squeeze letting him know much he appreciated their support. "_Well, I have to get back to my quarters before Jamie finds out I've gone AWOL and won't let me go. Night Ski._"

"Good night sir."

Lee completed a truncated tour, foregoing his usual tour of the control room and returned to his quarters where he found Harri sitting at his desk. "Out for a midnight stroll Captain?" Harri said as Lee entered.

Lee nodded his head and moved to pick up his laptop. "Chip came around and seems to be doing well. Jamie kicked me out of sick bay but I was just too keyed up to come right back here. I'm so ready to put this all behind me and get back to being me again. Jamie said we could go ahead with the procedure this morning."

"Yes, I know. I stopped by sick bay a little bit ago and got a full update from Jamie. The news is definitely encouraging; apparently we got everything right, "Harri replied.

"It really doesn't matter one way or the other Harri; I'm going through the process regardless. Also after you've completed putting me through the procedure I want your word you'll blow that complex and all of Bascomb's research to hell. I don't want anyone or anything to ever go through that kind of torture again. Promise me."

"I promise you Lee that we will erase the slightest hint he ever lived there. After watching what Chip endured yesterday I couldn't agree with you more. I wanted to let you know that I agree with Jamie's conclusions and we will head over to the island at 0800. Is that okay with you?" Harri asked.

Lee nodded. "I would go right now if we could but you and Jamie need to get some rest, don't want you nodding off at some key moment." Lee's eyes sparkled at the taunt.

Harri laughed. "Like that's possible. I don't think I'd ever been so focused on anything in my life making sure we hit all the marks at the right time. Believe me when I say I'll be just as focused tomorrow regardless of how much sleep I get."

"If I don't get the opportunity to say it, thank you for all you've done to get us back Admiral. Regardless of how things turn out I appreciate all you and Jamie have gone through to get me and Chip back. If for some reason this goes wrong for me, don't blame yourself this was not of your making. I have complete confidence in you as always." Lee replied.

Harri stared at Lee fighting back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He stood and moved towards Lee and drew him into a fierce hug. "I hope to hell this all goes well son, I don't want to lose you," he said patting him on the back.

Lee hugged him back then grabbed the pen from his desk and tapped out, "_I'll be fine. Don't worry, Dad_." He winked and laughed.

Harri laughed as well. "I'm going to try and get at least a couple hours of shut eye; I suggest you do the same. I think you're going to need it. Good night _Son_. Sleep well."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Morning rolled around quickly and Lee and Nelson entered the sick bay at 0730 to check on Chip before they headed off to the island. Chip was sitting up in bed working his way through his breakfast as he spied his visitors.

"Good morning Chip, how are you feeling today?" Harri inquired.

"Good morning sir, Lee. I'm feeling much better. My innards have just about quit quivering and I'm ready to be up and about." Chip replied.

Lee smiled and nodded. "That's great to hear," Harri answered. "Good to see you've got your appetite back, I'm sure that's got Jamie all excited."

"You're right about that," responded Jamie. "He's making great strides and should be able to go back to his cabin in a couple of days."

"What?! I'm ready to go now. In fact I'm going with you back to the island." Chip replied.

"No, you're not Chip," Jamie countered. "We don't know what if any complications you might encounter and the last thing that we need is to have to worry about you as we are putting Lee through the procedure. I'm sorry I just won't risk it."

"But Admiral I have to be there for Lee. Please don't leave me behind on this. I survived the first process without any problems I don't see why I would have problems with anything this time."

"I have to agree with Jamie on this Chip. What you've been through is unprecedented; none of Bascomb's subjects have gone through this twice and lived. So far you're the exception to his usual outcome. We need to keep our focus on Lee since he will be receiving bigger doses and more exposure than you." Nelson replied.

They could tell by Chip's expression that he understood their concerns and didn't want to prove to be a distraction as Lee was treated but he wanted to be there for his friend and brother just as Lee had been there for him. He looked pleadingly at Lee hoping he would weigh in on his side and get them to agree to let him come.

"There's nothing I want more than to have you by my side Chip, but I don't want to take a chance on your health. You've got your chance to be normal and I don't want that wiped out by some complication that can't be treated at the complex." Lee typed on his computer.

"Please reconsider." Chip begged. "I have to be there for you bro, it makes a huge difference knowing there's someone there who understands what you're going through. I couldn't be there for you the first time all I could do was watch."

"I understand your desire to be there for Lee, but please son, stay here so we know you're safe and we can fully concentrate on getting him through this." Nelson added.

"All right sir, I'll stay." Chip said dejectedly. He pushed his breakfast tray aside and got out of bed. He walked over to Lee and gave him a hug. "You come back as yourself, you understand?" Chip said. "I'll be there in spirit bro, don't you dare let me down." Lee returned Chip's embrace and nodded letting him know he acknowledged his conditions of staying.

Chip pushed back keeping his hands on Lee's shoulders as Lee placed his on Chip's shoulders. They locked eyes exchanging all the heart felt affection they had for each other without needing a word. "I mean it, you come back or I'll come after you and kick your butt all the way home." Chip finally said breaking contact.

Harri cleared his throat. "Okay Lee, Jamie, it's time we make our way to the island. Chip you just relax and think good thoughts. I'll have Bobby update you on our status once were done."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. Lee take care bro and see you soon."

Lee nodded, gave Chip one more hug then turned and exited sick bay followed by Jamieson and Nelson.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee's level of anxiety skyrocketed as they entered the laboratory. His heart was racing as though he had just run a marathon; he already felt drained by fear and dread that covered him like a blanket. Nelson moved immediately to the bank of computers and machines and began bringing them up on line. Jamie made himself busy assembling the equipment he needed to set this all in play.

After everything was set up Jamie moved to Lee and put his hand on his shoulder. "It's time Lee. I need you to remove your shirt and lie down on the table so we can get you ready for the procedure."

Lee nodded and dutifully pulled off his shirt and hopped up on the table and slowly lay down. His heart raced faster as Jamie applied and tightened each restraining strap to his body, he was breathing hard and was fighting to try and reassert some semblance of control over his body.

"I know this is difficult but just try and relax Lee." Jamie said trying to ease his concern. "Okay Lee as we did with Chip, we are going to duplicate the dosages and exposure rates used by Bascomb to cause the changes you went through. In reviewing his notes your dosages were much higher than Chip's so this may take longer, we just don't know. You do still want to proceed, yes?"

Lee nodded his head emphatically as he finally managed to tamp down his rampaging fear.

Harri walked over the table and placed his hand on Lee's head. "We'll all get you through this son and Chip is here in spirit too. Don't you dare let him down; I'd hate to have to explain that to him. Got me?"

Lee nodded slightly and gave him a faint smile. He was ready to get on with this regardless of the outcome. He locked eyes with Harri and then Jamie trying to let them know he had total confidence in them.

"Ready to begin son?" Harri finally asked. Lee nodded and closed his eyes.

Jamie shaved a spot on Lee's left arm then picked up the first syringe and injected its contents into Lee's system. The reaction was immediate as Lee grunted and twisted slightly on the table as the compound flushed through his body. Searing heat coursed throughout, hotter than he remembered the first time. It felt as though he was being cooked from the inside.

Jamie quickly took Lee's vitals and was not pleased to find his heart rate and blood pressure so elevated in comparison to Chip's responses. He could feel the excess heat in Lee's body more so than he could in Chip's, there was really no point in worrying about it because there was no going back.

He picked up the second syringe and shot in the second load. Lee arched off the table and let loose a whimper and howl of agony as the serum began ripping his DNA code to shreds. Sweat began literally pouring out of Lee's body as he twisted against his bonds trying to break free. Harri and Jamie locked eyes both concerned by the more extreme reactions Lee was having to the process.

"Do we proceed Harry?" Jamie inquired, already knowing the answer but he wanted confirmation from the man who considered Lee to be his son.

"I don't think we have a choice Jamie, there's no turning back now." Nelson replied grimly.

Jamie picked up the last syringe and added its contents to Lee's system. Lee's scream of agony and fear chilled them to their core. Harri flipped on the switch to irradiate him and was rewarded with another horrific cry from Lee. He and Jamie both were nearly in tears watching the young man writhe on the table experiencing excruciating pain and agony no man or animal should ever have to endure.

As the serum and radiation took effect they watched Lee's body start going through the transformation. His muscles rippled and quivered under his skin shrinking back to their original size, his face began twisting and warping back into a more human form as his teeth retracted into his gums, his feet seemed to collapse like a telescope as they returned to their original shape and finally his howls and whimpers transformed into human screams of agony as his body fought to regain its original form. Tears of blood flowed down the sides of his face as the process of transformation slowly came to a halt. Consciousness quickly evaporated as Lee became totally still and the only noise in the room was the whirr of the computers.

Jamie gently picked up Lee's wrist to track his pulse; it was racing so fast he could barely count the beats. His blood pressure tested the upper limits of the gauge, his respiration likewise rapid and shallow. Harri moved to the sink and filled a basin with water and brought it over to the table. He picked up a towel, wet it and gently started wiping off the soft black fur that covered Lee's body. Jamie began doing the same thing, both too stunned and shocked to speak at that moment.

As they completed cleaning up the captain, Harri sat down heavily on the stool next to the table and dropped his head into his hands. He could still hear Lee's gut wrenching screams and knew how unbearable the pain had to be to be yanked out of his mouth. His eyes stung as he fought to control the tears of frustration and anger at what his son had to endure all because of some madman's idle curiosity. The only solace he could take was that Lee once again looked like Lee.

"How is he Jamie," Harri finally asked as he regained his composure.

"Not good Harri. His vitals are off the chart and his temperature is still climbing. He's at 104 right now and its creeping higher. I don't think we have time to let him stabilize here we need to get him back to Seaview immediately." Jamie said, his voice revealing how shaken he was following the procedure.

Kowalski and Patterson were both ashen as well having witnessed their captain's ordeal. Crane's reaction to the procedure was far more severe than Mr. Morton's leaving the two ratings shaken to the core. If Bascomb weren't already dead they would have made sure he experienced just as much pain and horror as their captain just before they terminated him. Their anger at what both their commanding officers had to endure was plainly written across their faces and was mirrored in large part by Nelson and Jamieson.

Jamie signaled them over and they quickly wrapped up the captain and got him loaded into the litter. They made their way rapidly out of the complex to the awaiting ATVs. As they cleared the gate, Harri pulled out a small detonator and depressed the switch, a moment later the entire complex was consumed by a massive ball of fire that erased that chamber of horrors from the face of the earth.

Harri gently patted Lee's shoulder. "It's gone now Lee, you can rest easy son, and nothing will ever be tortured there again." He then nodded to Ski and Pat and they continued their journey to the beach and back to Seaview.

/ooo(l)ooo\

It was immediately evident to the recovery crew stationed on deck that things had not gone as well as they had for Commander Morton. The faces of the men in the zodiac were hard and their worry and fear for the captain's life was clearly evident. As soon as the zodiac was secured to the deck of Seaview, Jamieson jumped out and instructed his corpsmen to get the captain to sick bay stat.

Lee was now having difficulty breathing and Jamie had placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose to assist as much as he could. The captain's temperature had continued to go up and was flirting with 106; they had to get it down rapidly or convulsions along with permanent brain damage were a certainty. Jamie had two IVs going to supply the captain with vital fluids replacing those he sweated out.

Chip sat bolt upright as the corpsmen burst through the sick bay door with Lee. They transferred him quickly from the litter to the gurney and started working frantically trying to stabilize his condition. Jamie was a step behind them and was calling out orders as he moved to the gurney and took Lee's vitals.

The admiral was only a couple of steps behind them having stopped to issue orders to O'Brien to get them on their way home. He moved over to the bunk where Chip was staring in horror at the action in front of him and placed his hand on Chip's shoulder. He could read the concern on the admiral's face and a knot of fear twisted at his gut as he watched them work desperately on his friend and brother. "What happened sir, what's wrong with Lee?" Chip finally got out.

"Lee's reactions to the procedure were much more severe than yours Chip. According to Jamie, Lee's body is having difficulty reestablishing normal human functions. His heart is racing out of control, he's having difficulty breathing and virtually burning up from fever. It probably has something to do with the larger doses of serum he was subjected to along with the longer gamma radiation exposure. We didn't dare back off either of those components because we didn't want to fall short in the transformation phase and have to risk putting him through it again."

Jamie injected Lee with heavy doses of various drugs trying to reduce and regulate his heart beat and placed him on a respirator to reduce the demands on his system as he struggled to pull oxygen into his lungs. The corpsmen were placing cold packs at strategic points all over his body in an attempt to drop his core temperature. As that seemed to have no effect Jamie ordered them to prepare a tepid bath and they would try whole body immersion to cool him off.

They worked frantically for nearly two hours until finally Lee's system began to stabilize; his vitals were still way outside the normal range but were moving in the correct direction. His temperature dipped down to 104 and they removed him from the bath and placed him back on the center gurney. Jamie stepped back after rechecking his readings and heaved a huge sigh. "That was fun," he said stoically. He wiped the sweat off his brow and then moved over to where Chip and the admiral were watching. Both men were nearly in shock their faces ashen with the worry and fear for their friend.

"Well it looks like he's starting to stabilize a bit; his readings are coming down and most importantly so is his fever. I'm going to leave him on the respirator for the next 24 hours to give his body a chance to rest and focus on reestablishing normal function." Jamie reported.

"Jamie can I see him?" Chip asked quietly.

"Sure Chip that will probably have a positive effect on his system when hears your voice. Just talk to him, touch him, and encourage him to stay with us. He's on the edge right now and can use all the support he can get."

Chip and Harri both paled further at those words. "Is his condition really that critical Jamie?" Harri asked.

"He's fighting for his life right now Harri. His system is under tremendous strain trying to adjust and compensate for all he's been through. The drugs I pumped into his system should have dropped his heart rate to something barely detectable but it's still pumping at a rate you'd see on a sprinter after a race, if it keeps up too long it will just blow apart. His temperature is another concern the longer it remains that high the more chance of brain and other organ damage. I've done all I can think of to do, it's all up to him now."

Chip pushed up out of his bunk and moved to Lee's side. He was relieved to see that Lee once again looked like himself, no longer bearing any resemblance to a wolf. He cautiously reached down and picked up Lee's hand and held it gently between his. "Hey Lee, its Chip. It's time for you to come back now bro, they've got you looking like Lee Crane again so you can take back the conn now. Just hang in there, we all need you to come back to us, remember your promise to me, I don't want to have to kick your butt for going back on your word," Chip said quietly. He gently placed his hand on Lee's head and then moved it slowly down his face reassuring himself the change was real.

Jamie moved woodenly over to his desk and plopped down in the chair. He was tired and couldn't recall ever feeling this spent. Harri followed him over and claimed the chair beside the desk. He too was exhausted and felt emotionally wrung out. They stared at each other for a moment, each wondering why things always seem hardest for their young friend.

"There was nothing else we could do Harri," Jamie said reading the self-condemnation in Nelson's face. "Lee had made it very clear that if he couldn't be turned back he wasn't going to live his life as some freakish animal. We had to try and without having an opportunity to experiment with dosages we proceeded as best we could. Lee knew that and accepted it. You know that so don't beat yourself up."

"I know Jamie, but I feel like I've somehow let him down, caused him to unduly suffer because I couldn't get this right." Nelson replied.

"We didn't start this Harri; we've given Lee the only chance possible to get back his life. Also don't count Lee Crane out yet, his will to survive is beyond any I've ever seen. If anyone can lick this it will be Lee, it's just going to take a little more time."

Nelson sighed and nodded his agreement. He turned to look back into the exam room to see Chip still talking to his brother and calling him back to the light. He knew if Lee didn't pull through they would all be consumed with guilt at not being able to save his life.

"That's rather hollow consolation, I'm afraid. - I'm going to go grab a shower and wash the taint of that place off. Why don't you do the same?" Harri said tiredly.

"I will in a bit, I don't want to get too far away from him right now. Once he's stabilized more I'll do that and get a bite to eat. Why don't you get something to eat and a little sleep and you can sit with him once I send Chip off to his cabin for the night." Jamie offered.

Harri nodded and got up from the chair and walked over to the gurney. He placed his hand lightly on Chip's shoulder. "Hang in there Chip we both know Lee is a fighter. I'm heading to my cabin for a bit let me know if anything changes."

"Aye sir," Chip mumbled never looking up from Lee's face.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Harri wandered back to his cabin and sat heavily down behind his desk. He scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed in disgust at the current situation. He stared off blankly into space momentarily letting his body and mind give into the overwhelming weariness he had kept at bay.

He was pulled back to reality by a knock at the door. "Come," he called across the room. Lt. O'Brien entered and stood at near attention in front of the admiral's desk.

"What is it Mr. O'Brien," Nelson asked wearily.

"I wanted to give you a status report sir," O'Brien replied. Harri nodded at him indicating he should proceed. "We're on course for Santa Barbara and should be home in 12 days. Maintenance has completed their inspection of FS-1 and has come to the conclusion that one of the components in the main electrical panel failed due to an internal wiring problem with one of the attached components which most likely occurred at the factory. Engineering has likewise completed their maintenance of the engines following our run to the island and everything is fully functional, sir."

"Thank you Bobby." Nelson replied. "If I haven't said so, you are doing an excellent job as acting captain under these trying times."

Bobby flushed slightly at the praise from the admiral. "How's the skipper sir?" he asked.

"Not good Bobby, he's fighting for his life right now. The procedure to turn him back was more extreme than Mr. Morton's and his body is having a hard time adjusting to all the changes. Dr. Jamieson is keeping a close eye on him and doing everything that can be done to bring him back to us."

"I'm sorry to hear that sir. If there's anything I or the crew can do, please let me know. Do you have any problem with me informing the crew of the captain's condition?"

"No, please let them know Lee's condition; they have a right to know," Harri replied dejectedly.

"Yes sir. If there's nothing else I'll head back to the control room now." Bobby replied.

"No I don't need anything else. Keep up the good work Bobby and bring Lee's gray lady home."

"Aye, sir." Bobby answered then turned and left.

Harri pushed himself out of his chair then stripped and crawled into the shower. The warm water felt good as it rolled over his body relaxing taut muscles and removing the stink of Bascomb's lab. He lathered up then let the water wash away some of the tension that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his body over the last week. He shut the water off, grabbed his towel and climbed out of the shower donning a pair of NIMR sweats instead of his uniform, hoping the change in clothing would help relax him more.

After a few minutes he finally found himself feeling sleepy and moved over to his bunk and lay down on top of the covers. He quickly nodded off as his body could no longer fend off the exhaustion. As he slept dreams began encroaching on his mind tormenting him for his failure to save his son. He kept hearing Lee's agonized screams and saw him reaching for him, his eyes pleading to him to make the pain stop from that hideous wolfish face. Harri finally snapped awake, drenched in sweat as he fought off the feeling of utter failure as Lee demanded to know why he had done this to him.

Finally conceding he was not going to get much sleep short of a heavy duty sedative, Harri pushed himself up and out of bed. He donned his uniform and headed out his cabin door heading for sick bay to sit with his captain/friend/son.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Pain, it seemed that's all his world consisted of, well that and the searing heat that raged through his body. He was certain that he was in hell and there was no exit in sight. Lee scrambled one direction then another looking for a way out, a respite from the agony and heat that raged through his body. Try as he might there was no way out. He tried calling for help but all that came out was a tortured howl that seemed to echo forever.

He finally collapsed to his knees and hung his head, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. What had he done that was so wrong that condemned him to this never ending hell, forever cast in this hideous body that was no longer his own? He pondered that question over and over as he once again was racked by a crippling wave of pain that slammed him to the floor. He writhed in agony feeling as though his heart and lungs were going to explode within his chest. He tried to call out again but the words died before they could escape his lips.

Lee wondered how they could just leave him here. Chip, Harri, Jamie, didn't they know where he was? Hadn't they promised to rescue him? Weren't they going to turn him back? Dark despair began coloring his soul as he came to the conclusion that they had forgotten about him and he sank deeper and deeper into his own private hell.

/ooo(l)ooo\

Harri entered sick bay just as Jamie was trying to get Chip to go to his cabin to get some rest. "Chip, you need to get some rest, I don't need to be looking after both you and Lee. I'll be here with him, he won't be alone; trust me." Jamie said.

"Do was Will says, lad," Harri said walking over to the gurney. "I'll sit with him until you can come back in the morning."

"Please Chip, you're not doing him any good making yourself sick. He's going to need us all to help bring him back and you can't do your part if you're exhausted." Jamie added. He handed Chip a small paper cup with two pills in the bottom. "Take these, they'll just help you relax and let you get some sleep. If anything changes drastically I'll send someone to get you, okay."

Chip took the cup and just stared at it. He needed to stay with his brother, he needed to be there to help call him back, and he couldn't do that from his cabin. "Can't I just stay here Jamie? I can lay down in one of the bunks." Chip replied.

"If you did that the only way you'd get any rest would be for me to heavily sedate you. I know you don't want that, that kind of sedation would knock you out for eight or more hours." Jamie answered.

"Please Jamie, I can't leave him." Chip said his eyes pleading much like a child begging for five more minutes before being forced off to bed.

"No Chip. You need a break and you need some rest. Take the pills and go to your cabin, I promise we'll come get you if something changes." Jamie replied. Nelson stared at him letting him know he fully backed Jamie's demand.

"All right," he said popping the pills in his mouth. "But you promise you'll come get me if Lee needs anything. I'll hold you to that."

"We will son. Go get some rest; I've got the watch now." Nelson said kindly.

"Aye sir." Chip replied and headed out the door.

"How's Lee doing?" Harri asked as he looked down on Lee's face and brushed a wayward curl off his forehead.

"No real change. His vitals have settled down a bit, but they're still too high. His fever is stuck at 103 and nothing we've tried has been able to get it to break. I've tested his blood hoping there was some sort of septicemia that could be treated with antibiotics but there's no indication of anything so simple. At this rate he's just going to burn himself out and there's not a damn thing I can do about it." Jamie said the frustration at being so helpless clearly evident in his voice.

"Could this be some sort of radiation poisoning?" Harri asked.

"I've looked at that but there are no indications of that either. It's like he's stuck at emergency flank and there's no way to back him off. All we can do at this point is to provide palliative care until his system can readjust or…he dies."

Harri blanched at Jamie's grim assessment. He looked up at the doctor and took in his haggard appearance. "You know Jamie you need to follow the advice you gave Chip. You look as though you're barely able to stay on your feet. Why don't you go grab a little sleep yourself, you won't do Lee any good if you run yourself into the ground any more than Chip."

"You're right Harri, I definitely need some down time. But like Chip, like us all, I have a hard time prying myself away in case he needs something."

Harri gave him a small smile. "Go on, as I told Chip I've got the watch. Michael is close by should something happen and they'll call you back if Lee needs you."

"Alright, I know when I'm licked." Jamie said returning Harri's smile, "I hate it when my own arguments are used against me."

Harri chuckled and placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder imparting his thanks for all he had done for Lee. Jamie headed out the door after giving his instructions to Michael. Harri claimed the seat next to the gurney and began his vigil.

"Come on son, we need you to fight your way back to us. You've come so far already, just a few steps more and you're home. I need you here by my side. Remember you promised Chip you'd come back." Harri said quietly to Lee. He picked up Lee's hand and held it firmly between his hands. "Hold on Lee, pull your way back we won't let you go."

/ooo(l)ooo\

It had been eight days since Lee had undergone the procedure to reverse the effects of Bascomb's experiment and still no change in his status. He was becoming weaker by the day as the strain of the elevated heart rate and temperature took their toll on his body. He was never alone as Chip, Harri, Jamie or one of the crew maintained a constant vigil trying to call him back.

A somber pall had been cast over Seaview as they were almost in mourning for their captain. It seemed as though all conversations were in hushed voices and all operations were carried out as quietly as possible. They were all emotionally spent from their worry and fear that the captain would lose his battle to survive.

The silence was brutally shattered as the alarm for general quarters was sounded throughout the boat. Nelson snapped up the mic in sick bay and called to the control room. "Report Lieutenant!" barked Nelson.

"Sir we've just detected a massive subsea earthquake, magnitude 7.8, 75 miles east of our location. There is a massive shockwave heading our way and should reach us in approximately 35 seconds." O'Brien replied.

"I'm on my way," Harri replied. He clicked the mic twice. "Mr. Morton, report to the control room immediately. All hands prepare for extreme turbulence in 20 seconds."

Nelson slammed the mic back into the mount and bolted out of sick bay towards the conn. Just as he arrived the leading edge of the wave seized the Seaview and began shaking her around like a child playing with a toy boat. Men and equipment were flung across the submarine as she rolled violently from side to side. Sparks erupted from control panels as they were hit by power surges, valves vented releasing excess pressure and the hull plates began to buckle at the strain.

As the turbulence subsided the lights went out and were quickly replaced as emergency systems kicked on. Bobby snapped up the mic in the conn. "Damage control party report!"

"Damage control, aye. Wait. - We've got four men critically injured in the missile room, flooding between frames 21 and 24, electrical overloads in multiple locations, engines are offline, life support is operational."

"Sick bay report to the missile room immediately, four men reported down." O'Brien ordered.

"Sick bay, aye. On our way." Jamieson responded.

Jamieson and his corpsmen jumped into action grabbing emergency first aid supplies and stretchers. He quickly checked on Lee to make sure he had been uninjured then signaled his staff to follow him down to the missile room to treat the injured there. As they passed down the corridor they heard a low groan as one of the pipes in front of them began to warp and leak. Thomas sprinted back down the way they had come and secured the watertight door then moved forward to rejoin the doctor as he headed for the missile room. He dogged the hatch behind them hopefully containing the leak and keeping the boat safe. He grabbed the mic and reported the breach so the DC party could respond and seal the leak.

"Blow all ballast," ordered Nelson as he could feel Seaview starting to sink towards the bottom.

"Conn, DC party here, we've lost ballast control sir."

"Damn," Nelson swore. "How much water between us and the bottom?"

"1500 feet sir and we're sinking fast."

"All hands prepare for impact in 20 seconds; we're going to the bottom." Nelson said over the intercom. The crew once again braced themselves hoping that they would settle safely on the bottom.

Seaview jolted to a halt as she settled roughly on the bottom. Nelson snapped up the mic and clicked twice. "All quiet. DC report."

"DC here. Wait. - Engines still off line, ETA on repairs two hours, ballast control still off line, ETA on repairs 30 minutes, leaks in frames 21 through 24 controlled, new flooding between frames 48 and 52, watertight doors secured no ETA on repairs yet. All electrical systems should be up and running in 40 minutes." Upon receiving the notice of the breach near sick bay, Nelson swore. "Damn, sick bay is now cut off with leaks at either end of the corridor."

Chip looked up from the report he was scanning, "Lee…" he said quietly. Nelson heard the comment and they locked eyes. They both knew they had to concentrate on regaining boat integrity and control and could not check on their friend.

/ooo(l)ooo\

There was a new noise now, here in hell. Lee listened intently trying to identify the sound and the source. It was an alarm; his boat and crew were in danger. He sprang to his feet frantic to find the door out; he had to come to their aid. He ran into the blackness hands extended in front of him ready to push the confining walls out of his way in his quest to reach his boat, his crew, his family. He slammed into the barrier in front of him and began pushing for all he was worth.

The noise was getting louder now, he tried to call out to them let them know he was coming. He struggled against the wall until suddenly it moved. He backed up and threw his entire weight against it again and it moved once more. The alarm stopped, all was quiet again. That could be very good or very, very bad; he had to know. Determined to break through to save all he held dear in this world he backed up even further and ran headlong into the wall shattering it to pieces.

As he stepped through the falling debris of his internal prison he slowly pried open his eyes to find himself ensconced in sick bay. The room was lit red by the emergency lighting which increased his sense of alarm. He tried to call out but his throat was dry and only a weak squeak emerged. Lee slowly pushed himself into a seated position on his bunk. His vision swam momentarily as he got used to sitting upright. He looked quickly around the room and was concerned finding no one else there, something definitely was amiss.

He took in the IVs attached to his arm then gently removed them. He did a complete inventory of his person and removed the other tubes and monitoring equipment he found attached. Calling on all his strength he pushed to his feet and then sat immediately down as his legs failed to support him. Why was he so weak? He noticed no wounds or indications of broken bones, it just didn't make sense. Once more gathering his strength he pushed back up and was pleased to remain standing. He stepped cautiously away from the bunk maintaining a hand against the bulkhead to keep his balance. After a few steps he pushed away from the wall and was able to stand and move unaided.

Taking further inventory he noticed he was in a hospital gown and not the customary scrubs. He pulled off the gown and moved to the linen closet to get some more appropriate clothing. As he walked back towards his bunk to don the scrubs he noticed his reflection in the mirror and everything came screaming back. He quickly looked over his entire body, no fur, human feet, legs, arms and hands. He moved closer to the mirror and peered at the image reflecting back at him. He knew that face; a smile began growing as he touched his nose, ears, lips, teeth, and cheeks. He let loose an exuberant cry delighting in the sound of his voice and not the low rumbled growl or howl he had become used to.

They had done it! They had turned him back into Lee Crane. He let loose yet another joyous shout rejoicing in being himself again. Even as he savored the moment of normalcy his mind quickly turned to what had called him back, Seaview was in trouble and he had to help. He had heard nothing on the intercom which was not a good sign. He picked up the mic and clicked it twice but there was no signal. He sat down in the chair next to him and pulled on the scrubs he had picked up. He looked about for shoes but couldn't find any and didn't really want to deal with the disposable slippers Jamie kept on hand; bare feet beat those for traction any day.

Moving more confidently Lee went to the door and slowly opened it and scanned the corridor outside. He noticed the floor was wet meaning the bulkheads or pipes were leaking somewhere in the near vicinity. The watertight doors were sealed in either direction which told him he was most likely caught between flooded frames. There wasn't much he could do from where he was so he had to find another way out.

He rapidly assessed all his options and then returned quickly to sick bay where he pried open the ventilation shaft and hoisted himself inside. He began crawling through the shaft and was pleased to find that the watertight doors had not sealed inside yet. As he reached the vent that opened out to the frame where the door had sealed he opened the grill and scanned the area. Water was spraying from one of the overhead pipes. Lee lowered himself into the room and rapidly secured the valve cutting off the water. The water level in the room was too high for the door to release so he turned around and got back into the shaft and headed towards the other sealed section.

He reached the other section and took in the scene. A large water main had split below the valve and couldn't be shut off by that means. The room already had nearly 4 feet of water in it and was rapidly filling up; he had to take action to mitigate the damage. Lee dropped down into the room and moved quickly towards a supply cabinet. The water was icy cold and his feet and hands cramped at the exposure. He wrenched open the cabinet doors and pulled out a large pipe clamp used to seal leaks. He turned towards the spewing water and forced himself forward against the powerful jet of water. He was pushed back by the force of the water but dug deeper and plowed forward calling on all the strength he had. Through sheer willpower alone he was able to place the clamp over the leak and snap it shut. Once in place he raced back to the cabinet and grabbed a wrench to cinch down the clamp and completely control the leak.

He smiled briefly but was then overtaken by sudden shivering as the frigid water sucked away his body heat. He moved back to the vent shaft and was barely able to pull himself inside. He lay there shivering and exhausted. After a moment he forced himself to his knees and began crawling down the shaft towards his cabin. Reaching his quarters he flung open the grate and dropped to floor. He began stripping off his drenched clothing and moved quickly to the shower to warm up. He let the hot water flow over his body until the shivering stopped and his hands and feet no longer hurt.

He stepped out of the shower, dried off and began dressing in his uniform. As he did he heard the status updates from the DC party to the control room. They were apparently pleased that for some reason the flooding in frames 48 and 52 had stopped and they would have access to initiate repairs shortly. Based on the reports they had managed to regain ballast control and would be surfacing shortly. Lee smiled; his boat and crew were safe. Foregoing the tie Lee exited his cabin and moved slowly down the corridor towards the conn.

He made his way quietly down the spiral staircase and found that the crash doors had been closed, SOP given the situation. He moved to the door controls and pushed the button; the doors slowly slid open. As the doors opened he noticed that everyone was diligently focusing on their stations and tasks and hadn't noticed the doors open or him. He smiled a wicked smile and moved forwards behind O'Brien.

"Mr. O'Brien what have you been doing to my boat?" he said sternly to the young man in front of him.

The control room went immediately silent; startled O'Brien jumped and then spun around. Everyone gaped at the captain standing there demanding to know what was going on.

"Lee!" Chip yelled out and rushed forward grabbing his captain in a tight bear hug, lifting him off his feet and spinning him around. As he released him they locked eyes each relieved to have the other back and whole again. Lee smiled and cupped hand behind Chip's neck.

"Lad!" Nelson called out and embraced his captain as well. Not normally an openly demonstrative person, the conditions were decidedly not normal and his paternal instincts kicked in, his son was back.

The crew in the control smiled and laughed, a wave of relief washing over them as they saw their captain up and around and looking like himself. Multiple 'Welcome back, Skippers' echoed through the conn as the crew greeted his return. Lee smiled and acknowledged their greetings.

After a moment Lee fixed O'Brien in the eye and said, "Well, Mr. O'Brien I'm waiting."

Bobby blinked and then let out a laugh and a huge smile. "Aye sir. We were caught in extreme turbulence generated as a result of a large quake…" he proceeded to lay out the current status and estimated times for repair.

Lee patted him on the shoulder. "Well done." He moved to the chart table and picked up the mic. "DC party this is the captain, what is the current status of repairs?"

A joyous cheer travelled the length of the boat as they all recognized their skipper's voice and that he was back with them. Lee got a succinct report and provided them with information regarding the two sections they still needed to assess. Harri and Chip just shook their heads; of course that's what the captain would have done.

As he hung up the mic he spotted Jamie barreling through the aft control room hatch. He stared at Lee taking in his appearance and a huge smile spread across his face. He then fixed him with his usual exasperated expression, "Welcome back Skipper. Who said you were released from sick bay?"

They all broke out in laughter and Jamie moved forward to shake Lee's hand. "Come on Lee we need to go back so I can take a look at you. I'm quite honestly amazed that you're even able to stand upright given your recent condition."

Lee got a pained look on his face and was prepared to launch into his explanation as to why he needed to remain in the conn and not locked away in sick bay. Before he could even get started, Harri stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Go with Jamie, that's an order Captain. We want to make damn sure you're well enough to come back to work. We've missed you son."

Knowing he stood a snowball's chance in hell of avoiding sick bay he acquiesced graciously and followed Jamie out the door. As they left Nelson pushed Chip lightly in the back, "Make sure he arrives and stays there, would you Chip?"

Chip's face lit up like a kid getting everything he wanted for Christmas. "Yes sir I'll make sure he arrives and stays put until Jamie grants his release."

Nelson smiled broadly, a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had his captain and his son back, things were returning to normal. Turning to O'Brien he clapped him on the shoulder, "Come on Bobby, let's get this all taken care of so the skipper has no reason to escape from sick bay."

Bobby laughed out loud. "Aye, aye sir, with pleasure."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Lee and Chip chatted quietly while Jamie tended to the men injured in the missile room following the bout of turbulence. There were two concussions and two broken arms that required his immediate attention.

"How long was I out Chip?" Lee asked.

"Eight days following the procedure. According to Jamie it was real touch and go there for a while, you were running a really high fever and your system was acting as though it was running a race. Do you remember any of what happened?"

Lee sat quietly for a moment then replied solemnly. "Pain, wave after wave of never ending pain, it felt as though I was continually being ripped apart and then thrown back together. I seem to recall a lot of heat as well, I was pretty much convinced I had fallen into hell and there was no way out."

"I can relate with you there. I've never felt pain like that in my life. I think we're just lucky we had Nelson and Jamieson to pull our bacon out of the fire."

"I agree. I had every confidence that they would find some way to get us back. I think the greatest moment in all of this was seeing _me_ for the first time after the process had been reversed."

"I know what you mean. I think I spent at least two hours in front of the mirror just making sure everything was where it was supposed to be." Chip said with a laugh.

"Okay Lee I'm ready for you now," Jamie called out. "Come on over and hop up on the table."

Lee smiled and moved to the gurney, sat down and started unbuttoning his shirt. Jamie grabbed his stethoscope and listed intently to Lee's heart and lungs, took his blood pressure, temperature and a blood sample. As he passed the sample to his corpsman he smiled. "Things are getting back to normal Lee. Your heart rate, respiration and BP are well within acceptable norms, the only hang up is your temperature. You're still running a little hot at 100 but that's a huge improvement from the 104 you've been hitting the last few days. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine." Lee said. Jamie rolled his eyes in disgust. Lee laughed. "Actually I am feeling pretty good all things considered. I'm sore all over and feel kind of tired but other than that I've got no complaints. Can I sleep in my own bed tonight?"

"Not on your life." Jamie responded. "I want to watch you closely for another day or so to make sure you remain 'fine' and to try and finally knock down that fever."

Lee frowned looking very much like a child who just had his favorite toy taken away. "If you promise to be good, I will let you go to the wardroom for dinner as long as you return immediately afterwards with NO strolling through the boat."

"I suppose I should take what I can get," Lee said resignedly. "I guess that's not such a bad thing since Cookie is making my favorite chicken casserole, fresh biscuits and chocolate cake."

Chip looked at him quizzically. "How do you know that?"

"I can smell it can't you?" Lee replied.

Both Chip and Jamie looked surprised at Lee's question and shook their heads no. Just then the admiral walked in diverting attention from Lee's statement. "How's he doing Jamie?" Nelson asked.

"He's getting there Admiral. All his vitals are nearly normal with just a hint of fever left. I'm going to keep an eye on him here for a day or so just to make sure there's no relapse or other complications."

Nelson smiled at the news and patted Lee on the shoulder. "It's great to have you back Lee; we were all getting a little concerned."

"Great to be back sir, thanks to you and Jamie. I was getting more than a little concerned myself. I think if I hadn't heard Seaview's alarm I might still be in my own private hell." Lee replied.

"Figures that's what would bring him back. He totally tunes us out, but when his gray lady sings out in trouble and he's right there," joked Chip. They all laughed as Lee blushed.

"I'll have to keep that in mind if he ever pulls another sleeping beauty stunt again," Jamie said chuckling. "Well, Admiral I told the captain here I would release him from sick bay for dinner in the wardroom if he agrees to return to sick bay for the night. Would you be up to escorting him there and ensuring he follows his doctor's orders?"

"I believe I can see that he complies with those orders Dr. Jamieson. Are you going to join us? I got word Cookies' whipped up his famous chicken casserole tonight along with biscuits and chocolate cake in honor of the captain's return." Nelson replied.

Chip and Jamie just stared at Lee. Lee smiled and just shrugged. "I'll be there after I make sure all my patients are settled in and doing well. See you shortly."

"Fine, we'll head down and grab a table. Lee, Chip, let's go eat."

/ooo(l)ooo\

Despite the recent emergency that damaged the Seaview, the mood in the wardroom was jubilant. Everyone was elated to have their captain and first officer back to normal and each man made a point of coming over and expressing their relief and happiness at having the best command crew, Navy or civilian, back in command. Both Lee and Chip were deeply warmed and gratified at the sincere words bestowed upon them by their crew.

Nelson was all but beaming; he had a deep feeling of pride in his crew and a huge sense of relief at having his boys back at his side. They thoroughly enjoyed being able to chat as they ate their dinner not having to rely on computer generated voices or coded messages to convey their thoughts. All was right with their world after fearing that it would never be right again following Bascomb's hideous experiments.

Jamie joined them shortly and provided them a positive update on the injured men in sick bay. They bantered back and forth, taking comfort in the company around them making jokes and allusions to their companion's furry problems. The sense of relief that they could make those jokes now that all had been reversed was beyond measure.

When the last crumb of cake was consumed Jamie fixed the captain firmly in his gaze and announced that it was time to return to sick bay. Lee's reaction was that of a five year old boy being told it was bed time, a frown clouded his handsome features as a plea for just five more minutes lit up his eyes. The rest of the men at the table couldn't control their laughter only making Lee's frown deeper. "Bed, Captain, now." Jamie said in a decidedly parental tone.

He slowly stood up and moved to the door dragging his feet much like a toddler that realizes there was no way to avoid the bed time sentence, eliciting yet another round of laughter from his companions. Lee was actually secretly relieved as his reserves were nearly spent following all the activities of the day, but appearances had to be maintained.

Once safely tucked into a bunk in sick bay, Jamie quickly took note of Lee's vitals and handed him a couple of pills to ease him into sleep. Lee balked at the pills, knowing full well he would be out the minute the doctor left. Jamie was insistent that he take them to ensure his captain got the sorely needed rest he required following all he had been through. Finally acquiescing to Jamie's demand Lee popped the pills in his mouth and chased them down with a sip of water.

"All right Skipper, just lie back and get some sleep. Everything is looking good and even your temperature is almost back to normal. If things stay as they are, I'll let you sleep in your cabin tomorrow night." Jamie said as he pulled the covers up Lee's chest. Lee brightened considerably at that bit of news making Jamie chuckle.

"Jamie, thanks for everything, you have no idea how much I appreciate all you've done to get me back." Lee replied sincerely.

Jamie patted the captain lightly on his shoulder. "Believe me Lee, it was my pleasure. It's good to have you back Skipper. Sleep well; you deserve a good night's rest." With that Jamie lowered the lights in the bay and moved to his desk to update the thick folder dedicated to the young man sleeping quietly in the next room.

/ooo(l)ooo\

As promised Jamie released Lee from sick bay the following evening since his vital signs had remained stable and his temperature was back to normal as well. The lone caveat on that release was that he was not cleared for duty and must rest and regain his strength. One of Lee's favorite forms of relaxation was walking through the boat which he started almost immediately after his parole.

He strolled casually through every section of his boat reveling in the knowledge that she was once again his and he would be able to resume command on their next mission. He stopped and visited with every crewman and officer, reconnecting with his people and vessel and feeling whole for the first time since the whole debacle started with Bascomb. He entered the control room and greeted each man there then moved up to the nose to join the admiral who was seated there working on some project of his.

"Good evening Lee," Harri said as he saw Lee approach. "You're looking quite relaxed and happy tonight."

"Good evening Admiral. Yes, I haven't felt this good in quite a while. In all honesty I never thought I would be in a condition to resume command of Seaview and feel incredibly blessed right now." He replied with a smile.

"Much as I hate to admit it, I had the same fears, son. I was truly afraid we were going to lose you after your extreme reaction to the process reversal. I've been counting my lucky stars every hour since you came back to us."

Lee blushed slightly as he recognized how deeply the admiral had been shaken by this experience and at the undisguised look of fatherly affection that shown in his eyes. Snapping a quick look over his shoulder and seeing his crew completely focused on their tasks, he placed his hand on Harri's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze hopefully conveying his affection and appreciation to the older man that he didn't have the words or courage to express aloud. It was obvious Harri understood Lee's message and patted his hand in recognition.

The moment was broken as Chip entered the nose to give them a status update since Jamie had allowed him to resume limited duty until they reached port in two days. "Admiral, Lee we are preparing to surface and shoot the stars," Chip said. "It looks like a beautiful night if you'd like to spend a little time topside."

Both men smiled and nodded. They followed Chip through the conn and up the ladder to Seaview's bridge. The evening was indeed beautiful. The temperature was a balmy 68 degrees, a full moon consumed the night sky as it rose majestically above the horizon, a universe of stars shimmered and twinkled in the background and a light breeze gently kissed their faces. They all let loose a huge contented sigh then started chuckling at their coordinated response.

Lee became aware of Chip staring at him speculatively, one eyebrow cocked as he assessed his captain's conditions. "What?" Lee questioned as his scrutiny started to become annoying.

"I'm just waiting to see if you change back into the wolf given that full moon hanging overhead." Chip said barely containing his amusement.

Lee stared back at him darkly, and answered with a low and menacing growl which deteriorated into laughter. Chip clapped him on the back as he and Harri joined in on the joke.

"We should pull into port in about 40 hours at our given speed. I'm really looking forward to getting home and putting all this business to rest." Chip finally said.

"I hear you on that one," Lee responded. Harri added his nodded agreement as well.

The evening was so peaceful that conversation seemed to ruin it. The three men took great comfort in being in each other's company and a feeling of serenity passed between them as they continued to stare at the stars and moon.

After about an hour Harri finally broke the comfortable silence. "Well gentlemen I think it's time we head back down and submerge the boat."

Chip nodded his agreement and gave the order to secure the deck watch. When the last crewman entered the hatch the admiral headed down as well with Chip following behind. Chip stopped just before descending into the control room as he realized that Lee had not followed but was still standing at the tower edge looking out over the ocean. "You coming Lee?" he inquired quietly.

"In a minute Chip, go on down I just want a moment alone to take in the beauty of this whole evening." Lee responded.

"Okay, one minute then I'll be back up to kick your butt back inside the boat," he said with a chuckle. He could understand why Lee wanted that time alone with his boat and quickly descended the ladder.

Once Chip was down the ladder Lee moved to the hatch and quietly lowered it shut, giving him complete privacy. He quickly scanned the watch stations making sure all the crewmen were below. Lee looked up at the huge full moon, a wolfish grin spread across his face as the moonbeams bathed him in their amber glow. He threw back his head and let loose a jubilant howl, thrilled to be alive and back to being himself and letting the whole world know about it. He had it all once again, his brother healthy and whole, the man he considered a surrogate father at his side, the best crew in the world and his beautiful gray lady. He chuckled to himself and let fly one more howl then raised the hatch and descended the ladder to rejoin the world he loved.

The End.


End file.
